Restless in Riverdale
by bipolar.poet08
Summary: "Do not touch the fries." "Sharing is caring, Jug." "Hmm...I don't care and I don't share."
1. Chapter 1

These days, I wonder whether next year's Fourth of July would be normal. _Or the year after that. Or maybe the year after that._

I wonder if, for the next I-don't-know-how-many years, I would have to mourn Jason Blossom's death on every Fourth of July.

I really hope not.

It was afternoon when I heard from my mother that Jason was missing. The Blossom twins were on a boat ride when Cheryl's glove fell into Sweetwater River and Jason, being the perfect brother, reached out for it. The boat capsized. Cheryl made it to the riverbank. Jason went missing.

All of this happened just a week before school reopened.

Naturally, it was what everyone talked about. Many mourned his death. Many pretended to. Some acted as if it didn't make any difference. Alice Cooper, my friend Betty's mother, was an entirely different case.

Now, I wasn't a big fan of Jason myself. We were civil to each other.

Not really.

Cheryl disliked me for reasons unknown to all of us. Jason could've cared less about me. In fact, Jason and I spoke so little that I don't even remember what he sounded like. Sixteen years in the same town and not once did we decide to befriend each other.

Nevertheless, I still mourned for him, because in the end, a life is a life, no matter the person. No person should die so young. Jason Blossom had his whole life ahead of him, with a shining future. He was the captain of the school's water-polo team as well as the star quarterback for the Bulldogs.

His death was a tragedy, yes. But to me, it was one of the biggest mysteries I would ever come across.

* * *

 _"Do not touch the fries_ "

My fingers froze in mid-air, reaching towards the plate filled with fries, as Jughead Jones continued to type away on his laptop, not even bothering to spare me a glance. I pulled up my legs onto the booth seat, resting my chin on my knees. We sat where we had always sat for the past five years, only there were two of us instead of four.

"Sharing is caring, Jug." I said, making a face.

"Hmm…I don't care and I don't share." He looked up for a second and went back to his typing.

"What," I dragged the plate towards me, "are you talking about? Hey, Pop! I'll have the usual. You love me, Jonesy." And nodded at the "You got it, Max!" Pop sent my way.

Jughead made a noise which could be translated as 'Do you want to argue with me?' I chuckled and devoured the fries until one of the waitresses arrived with my order. _More fries and one large chocolate milkshake._

"Foooood" I moaned, thanking the waitress, and reached towards the milkshake only to see Jughead swipe it away. "Oy!" I protested and before I could comprehend what had happened, he handed me an empty glass.

"I- Wha- _Jughead Jones_! Come on! That's not fair." I whined, "There's literally _nothing_ left." I peered into the glass. Not a drop of it was left.

For the past few weeks, Jughead Jones was moping about the fact that Archie Andrews, our mutual best friend, had bailed on their much planned and much awaited road trip. That had ultimately led to their friendship to spiral down. I wouldn't know much of the details. I hadn't seen Archie all through summer and Jughead refused to speak of it. School starts on the day after tomorrow. I hope everything settles down between them soon.

Lately, he made it a habit to sit at Pop's Chocklit Shoppe until well past midnight, eating and doing who knows what. As I had nothing much to do, except for my rigorous piano practise, I decided to join him almost every evening. Obviously, I couldn't stay till 12 in the night. My parents expected me to be home by 10 p.m., 11 at most, and I respected that curfew.

We didn't do anything. I sometimes read my sheet music or a novel, listened to Chopin, and watched a movie. He read articles or typed a lot.

"That was the point of me drinking the entire thing, Pierce." He smirked at me faintly.

I bit back a smile.

 _What a foodie my best friend is._

"So, I had the misfortune of running into Alice when I met Betty this morning." I played around with my food, "I almost forgot how my skin crawls in her presence."

"Is that right."

"You could feel the happiness that radiated from her. How can anyone be so, so radiant when a person you know has died?"

"It's Alice, Max. You know how she is." He sighed, looking at me.

"Yes, but you should've seen the way she was celebrating in the living room. Drinking wine, mumbling to herself about how she wished that Jason suffered. I know what happened to Polly. We all know what Jason did to her was wrong but-but bearing a grudge, _of this fucking magnitude_ , is just wrong!" I kept making gestures, showing how aggravated the situation was making me.

Finally looking at my friend, I noticed that he was chomping down a burger ( _where did that come from?_ ), studying me. I raised my shoulders, arms resting on my knees, "It's ffff- _reaking_ disrespectful."

"I see you still feel uncomfortable while swearing in front of me." He said, in between bites.

"No…yes, maybe. I don't know!" I exclaimed, running my fingers through my short, dark hair. Jughead narrowed his eyes at me.

"….Did you…get a haircut?"

"Oh, you mean how the length of my hair decreased from my back to my cheeks?" I pulled at the bangs of my bob-cut, black hair, "Yes, that is very observant of you."

"Hmm," The corners of his mouth twitched, "Looks good, I suppose."

My ears began to heat up because of the compliment.

" _You suppose?"_ I leaned forward, "I look hella fine."

"Excited for school, aren't you." Jughead went back to his typing.

"No, not really." I put my feet on the floor, leaning back on the seat, "I mean, Cheryl is gonna take _complete_ advantage of the situation. I dunno if it's disrespectful or not, but she's going to use Jason's death as an excuse to magnify her…..bitchy attitude." I stretched my arms across the table and said absentmindedly, "'Sides, the way she speaks about him…it's so _weird_."

That caught Jughead's attention. He stopped typing immediately and narrowed his eyes at me, "Weird? In what way?"

"Hmm…Oh, nothing. It's nothing big. I mean, I don't kn-" I shrugged, scratching my nose.

"No, you're dying to tell me, Max." He closed his laptop and paid complete attention to me, "So, tell me."

"She talks about him as if she's waiting for him to come back." 


	2. Chapter 2

"Honey?"

"Yes, mom?"

"Are you sure you want to wear _that_ to your first day of school?"

My mother, Vivian Pierce, had always been the one to dress to impress. She was on the cheerleading squad, back when she was in Riverdale High, and was talented musician. I had decided to fulfil her dream of attending Julliard, majoring in the Piano.

All bias aside, my mom was quite beautiful. She was tall, in comparison to other woman in Riverdale, dressed elegantly and sometimes, was unsettlingly polite. I had inherited her black hair and green eyes. Mom was more lady-like than I could ever be which made her try and talk me into ' _acting like a girl your age_ '

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I looked down at my maroon shirt, black skinny jeans which were ripped at the knees and a black oversized hoodie that I had stolen from Archie a long time ago. Well, not really a long time ago. Last summer, probably.

"Shouldn't you be wearing something…" She waved the spoon she was holding at me, sitting at the dining table as she had breakfast, "I don't know…feminine?"

"Feminine?"

"Feminine." She confirmed.

"Don't nag her so early in the morning, Viv." My dad scanned over his planner, sitting right across mom.

Edmund Pierce was a TV nerd. Simple as that. I mean no offense or anything, but everything about him screamed it. He had large, black framed glasses. Wore his dark hair in a little ponytail. Went to work in t-shirts which said ' _Valar Morghulis_ ' or ' _Mischief Managed_ ' or ' _Allon-sy!_ '. He was almost 6'1'', towering over mom who was five inches shorter than him.

Yeah, okay, I didn't want to say it but I'm taller than mom.

Mom, who was an architect who failed the Julliard entrance test, also owned a music shop uptown. Dad helped manage it time to time, while working as an engineer.

"Really, Edmund." Mom said, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her knuckles, " _Just look at her._ "

Dad sighed and looked up, pushing his glasses up, "She looks just fine to me."

"See?" I sat down next him, grabbing my jar of Nutella, "Now, I need to hurry. It's the first day of school and I gotta grab the last seat in class." And began spreading the spread on the bread.

…..I did that intentionally. Go me!

Actually, no, sorry. That was lame.

Mom sighed, "One of these days, Phyllis, you'll take care of your appearance."

"You did not just call me-"

Dad snorted at mom's statement, "Maybe when she gets a boyfriend, she might."

"Hmm…and that's not gonna happen any time in the future."

"You called me Phyllis, mom! No one calls me that anymo-"

"Too right you are, dear." Dad lifted his coffee cup, sipping from it slowly.

I chewed the bread slowly and finally swallowed, "I don't know whether to be insulted or not at that statement."

"Shoo, now, hun. Time for school. Say hi to Juggie for us!"

* * *

"Max!" A very familiar voice rang through the school hallway and I turned to face the owner.

"Ginger McG- _What the fuck happened to you_?" I looked at Archie Andrews incredulously. And for the right reasons too.

 _He's become a chick magnet! Oh no! Archibald has grown up too fast!_

Archie looked at me confused as he stopped in front of me. A few of the students passing by gave me weird looks because of my little outburst.

"You used to be so gangly and limby and-and _pimply_!" I exclaimed, standing on my toes and patting his cheeks.

The redhead grew embarrassed, "Yeah, well, I worked at dad's construction site. Maybe that's why-"

"That's why you buffed up, became tall and pretty, _and got abs?_ You do have abs, right?" I reached to feel his shirt. After fifteen years of friendship, I doubt he felt awkward with my blatant ignorance of personal space.

"Wha-hey!" Archie protested as I patted his stiff abdomen.

"Dude. You must've had one hell of a summer." I said, as I motioned him to walk with me to my locker.

He looked away, scratching the back of his neck, "Y-yeah. Sort of."

 _He isn't looking at me in the eye_.

We stopped in front of my locker and I fiddled with the knob, "So, did you do anything else, apart from working at the site?"

He blinked really fast and shook his head, "Nah. Didn't have much time to do anything else. Just, y'know, work."

"Mmhmm." I nodded, grabbing a couple of books and shoving them into my messenger bag.

"What about you? How was summer?" He asked, fiddling with the straps of his bag, not really looking at me.

"Same as usual. Practised a lot. There's a competition coming up soon so I need to be thorough with the score. Also, I hung out a lot with Jughead in the past couple of we- Who are you searching for?" I asked, noticing his lack of attention.

Archie's eyes seemed to wander the hallway. At my question, he snapped back into reality and looked at me, "Yeah, sorry about that. Listen, I gotta go be somewhere. I'll see you at lunch?"

And without even waiting for a response, he sped away, disappearing amongst the oncoming crowd of students.

"Well, that was….a good chat."

* * *

As I had nothing else to do and Sam was yet to be spotted, I roamed the halls alone until-

"Elizabeth Cooper!" I yelled happily, skipping all the way towards her.

She turned and smiled at me. Behind her stood Kevin Keller, and a black haired Latina who I presumed to be Veronica Lodge.

I jumped at her, wrapping her in my arms, "I missed you so much, my dear, beautiful blonde."

She laughed lightly, "We met two days ago, Max."

"Two days is a looong time," I said and turned to Keller "Kev, my man. How was summer?"

"Bo-ring." He waved his hand, "Hardly found anyone worth my attention. Dig the new hairdo, by the way"

I ruffled his hair, saying thanks, and turned to the third person, "You must be Veronica Lodge. I heard from the grapevine that we had new student. They're gossiping about you" I smiled at her.

"The rich bitch from New York? I'm sure they have," She smiled back.

I waved it off, "I like to believe what I see. And from what I'm seeing, you're alright if you've gained Ellie's approval."

"Veronica Lodge, meet Maxine Pierce. Our-" Betty began but I cut her off.

"Resident musician extraordinaire! I got some skilled fingers," and wiggled my fingers in front of Veronica's face, who laughed at my innuendo.

Kevin pushed my arms away from the Latina, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, "She is so annoying-"

"Uh, you mean adorable"

"and irritating-"

"Cute"

"That makes you want to chokehold her."

"No! That makes you want to cuddle with me" I patted Kevin's stomach as he held me close. Betty and Veronica laughed.

"You three done with the tour then?" I asked.

"Almost. I'm taking her to the lounge room. And then the library." Betty clasped her hands in front of her.

"Did you tell her about back-to-school semi-formal the school organises?" I asked, as Kevin and I let go of each other.

"It's a yearly dance that happens after every summer. It's this weekend" The blonde informed. Suddenly, the three of the stared across the hallway. More specifically, at someone in the hallway.

"There's the hottie we were with last night. The red-headed Ansel Elgort." Veronica exclaimed, excitedly. " Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, he's straight." said Kevin.

"No, we're just friends." said Betty.

"Ew. No." said I.

"In that case, mind putting in a word? I've tried every flavor of boy but orange." The raven haired girl stared at Archie and turned to Betty.

"Actually, to clarify... Betty and Archie aren't dating, but they are endgame." Kevin said, in an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' voice.

 _They are? Of course they are. She's been pining after him since fourth grade._

"You should ask him to the semiformal then."

"She should, shouldn't she?" I nudged Veronica, "She sometimes follows him around like a puppy."

" _Max!_ "

"Wha- I said _sometimes!_ "

"Anyway, there's a chance that it might be cancelled." Betty looked at Veronica, who furrowed her brows in confusion, "Considering what happened to Jason Blossom."

"Who is Jason Blossom and what happened to him?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and for sticking with me till here. Please leave a review on how I can improve the story or if some character is OOC. I appreciate constructive criticism!**

 **Nekoguest : Thank you so much for your review! I'm trying to make the story not about my OC but at the same time about her. Does that make sense? (./.)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank you for that moment of silence," Cheryl Blossom's voice echoed in the hall where the school had gathered. "Many of you were lucky enough to know Jason personally. Each and every one of you meant the world to Jason. I loved my brother, he is and will always be my soulmate."

"Pretty sure that's incest." Sam leaned towards me and whispered.

"Shut up, Sam." I hissed at her.

Just like Betty and Archie had their set of friends, I had mine. Only, I had one.

You could say that Sam Watson was the livelier, female version of Jughead. If Jughead happened to be blind, that is. Being blind didn't stop Sam from making jokes on herself. And most of her jokes revolved around her impairment.

Sam wasn't born blind. She had lost her vision in an accident.

I sat between Kevin and Sam, as Cheryl spoke of her brother.

"Looks like incest to me." Sam mumbled to which Kevin looked over to her, saying, " _Sounds_ , Sam. It sounds like incest to you."

Sam turned and leaned into me, sticking out her tongue at who she thought to be Kevin, only she licked my cheek in the process. In response, I let out a little shriek, which caught the attention of a few people around.

"Sam!" I hissed at her again as Kevin muffled his giggles. I turned to glare at him but a certain red haired friend of mine caught my eye.

Archie was, rather than looking at Cheryl, making eyes at Ms. Grundy, our music teacher.

 _What._

"-collectively, and celebrate my brother's too, too short life on this mortal coil. Thank you all." Cheryl finished her speech and left the stage, the students applauding as she walked away.

"W-what? What happened?" I asked Sam as she stood up, leaning on her walking stick.

"School isn't cancelling the semiformal." She shrugged, her pale blue eyes staring past me, "How troublesome. I wasn't looking forward to it, anyway. Yes, I wasn't _looking_ forward, Keller." She lifted her cane to hit something which I was pretty sure wasn't my knee.

" _Sam!_ " I yelped in pain, clutching my knee.

Students had begun to empty the court.

Kevin adjusted the straps of his bookbag, "Let's go. We have class." And started leading Sam down the stairs. I stood there, thinking until Kevin called for me.

 _Why was Ms. Grundy looking back at Archie?_

* * *

I spent lunchtime in the back of the music room, going over my sheet music.

 _Chopin. Winter Wind. Piece of cake. Or maybe….I should play Rachmaninoff? Ms Grundy said it was up to me._

I gripped my hair in annoyance. There was a small local concert that the Blossoms' were organising and Ms Grundy, being the music teacher, _the only_ music teacher in Riverdale, was in charge of it. She had personally tutored Jason along with me and some kid named Yoshida _or was it Yoshido?_ I wouldn't really call it tutoring as she spent more time concentrating on Jason's ' _talent'_. Often, she cancelled my classes, saying that she had some important work and in the few classes we had had, she would reprimand me on the way I sat, the way I held my fingers (which was perfect, just saying) and that what I played didn't match the actual tempo.

Excuse me.

I didn't earn the local title of "The Human Metronome" by producing clicks from my mouth.

 _Yeah, okay. I might've spread the title by totally copying it from 'Your Lie in April'_ but still!

I was confident in my skills as a pianist. But out of respect for a Julliard graduate, I took Grundy's suggestions into consideration. Even if neither I nor my mother, who happened to be a musician herself, noticed any progress in my playing. Nevertheless, I was still under her 'tutelage'.

I was deep in thought when suddenly I heard someone talking.

The extra piano was in a separate room, so naturally nobody knew I was inside. Or nobody bothered to check.

I slowly peeked outside to see, of all the people, Archie Andrews conversing with Grundy.

 _Why is he sitting so close to her? I can barely hear anything from here!_

Deciding to reveal myself, I walked towards them, "Um, Miss Grundy?"

Their reactions threw me off _completely._ They stood up suddenly and put as much distance as they could between them, with their wide eyes staring at me as if I had done something heinous.

No.

 _As if they had been caught doing something heinous._

"Max! Ho-how long have you been in here?" Miss Grundy said, looking as flustered as Archie, who looked everywhere but at me.

"Oh, I was just…um…just looking over the sheet music un-until I heard someone. I-uh actually had some queries regarding the, um, concert?" I looked between her and Archie, "Whenever you're done with him, I mean. No rush." I spoke hastily.

"Actually, Max, I have to be somewhere." She said, handing Archie his iPod, "I'm free after school. Come see me then."

And she just walked out of the room, without sparing us a glance.

"How-how much did you hear?" Archie straightened his t-shirt and pocketed his iPod.

"Nothing." I furrowed my brows, "Like I said, I was practising inside. There's this small concert and the Taste of Riverdale thing coming up. What's up with you?"

"I'm thinking of pursuing music. Singing, mostly. Writing songs. The guitar." He said, a little embarrassed, "I asked her- Miss Grundy, to tutor me."

Honestly, I was surprised.

"And why am I hearing of this now?" I hit his forearm, "Am I not your best friend anymore, Archibald?"

"I wouldn't let you call me that if we weren't." He laughed lightly, all tension lost from his face, "She said no. Miss Grundy. She said that I should pursue my music but with someone else."

"What?" I asked, "That's weird. I think if you were to ask her, she'd have said yes right away."

"That's what I thought too." He sounded disappointed. Well, anyone would've been disappointed.

"I could help!" I grinned, "Granted, I'm not well-versed with pop music, I can help in whatever way I can."

Archie grinned back at me, "Thanks, Phil. I'd like that." And ruffled my hair, "Hair looks awesome by the way. You look different."

"That was the plan, Ginger McGee," I laughed, swatting his hands away.

He left soon after, saying that he had football try-outs. I went back to my piano, with Miss Grundy and Archie on my mind.

* * *

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** **Please leave a review on how I can improve the plotline!~**


	4. Chapter 4

" _What are you wearing_?"

Betty blushed at my exclamation whereas Veronica looked darn proud of herself, both wearing the Vixens' uniform. The two girls, along with Kevin and Sam, were sitting outside, on the benches after school. And the moment I uttered the statement, Kevin and Sam started screaming on my face.

"Oh my god, Max-"

"You should've seen-"

"-Cheryl was such frickity bitch-"

"-Veronica totally bitch-slapped her-"

"Using words!"

"-Put her in her place-"

"-USING WORDS-"

"She was almost in tears!"

"Stupid, frigging, ginger bitch got OWNED!"

I blinked rapidly at them, "Guys, gu-GUYS!" I yelled at them to calm the fuck down, "I didn't understand anything except the part in which Cheryl was a bitch. But, then again, she always is."

"Remember how Betty was turned down when she auditioned for cheerleading and Cheryl called her 'fat'?" Kevin said, almost wetting himself with excitement. I nodded and he continued, "Well, Veronica said that Betty was trying out with her and they were totally uh-mazing. But then Cheryl said there was no sizzle. And they made out-"

" _Who made out_?" I gasped, horrified at the fact that Veronica would kiss the Ginger Bitch.

" _Nooo,_ " Sam tried swatting Kevin away, "B and V did!"

I looked at the girls questioningly.

"Don't look at us like that," The dark-haired girl said, "She said we lacked heat so we showed her a steamy make-out session."

"Sure. Continue, Kev."

"Cheryl was all ' _Welcome, Veronica. Sorry, Betty. Yo ass still fat-"_ Kevin interrupted Sam, saying, "No, Sam! Cheryl didn't say 'yo ass st-'"

"Shut it, Susan. And-and then Veronica says so much of stuff and that she and Betty come as a matching pair and then she goes, 'You wanted fire? Sorry, Cherrybombshell, my specialty's ice.'"

 _Well, colour me impressed._

"I knew I liked you for a reason." I grinned at Veronica who still looked darn proud of herself, "Congratulations for making it to the team."

"Thanks!" Betty and Veronica chimed.

"I'm still shocked that Betty made it, though." I laughed, " _' Too season 5 Betty Draper'"_

Kevin made a face at me as Sam and Veronica laughed.

"I wouldn't have made it to the team if Veronica hadn't said what she had said." Betty said, smiling. The blonde then stood up saying that she had to head home. The latina followed, saying that she'll come along and the both of them waved us goodbye.

"I gotta go, too." Kevin said, "Get my tux and everything."

"Bye, Kevin!" Sam stuck out her tongue at him, but it was misdirected.

"I'm rolling my eyes at you, Sam." Kev snickered and walked off.

"Great. Now what do we do?"

* * *

"Be my date to the dance?"

Sam propped this question suddenly while we were sitting in Pop's, at our usual booth.

"I don't swing that way." I answered, nonchalantly.

"Neither does Jonesy here," she tried prodding Beanie Boy's knee, while he sat reading and re-reading his unfinished novel next to me. However, Sam, as always, ended up slamming her cane on my knee instead. Ignoring my cry of pain, she continued, "I don't think he swings any way, at all. Don't you, Jones?"

"If I said yes, would you leave me alone, Watson?" He sipped his coffee and went back to reading.

Sam slammed her palms on the table, " _If_? What do you mean 'if'? So you do swing in a direction. Is _Kevin_ your type then?"

"I don't really have a preference." He said it as if it were the simplest thing in the world, "I'm not actually attracted to anyone in particular. I sometimes wonder if I'm capable of having romantic feelings at all."

 _...okay._

I patted his hand gently, "That's okay, Jug. Romantic or not, you can always marry Sam in the end."

"Hell to the no." Sam crossed her arms, staring hard at what she must've thought to be me but it so happened to the people sitting behind us, "Where the frick-frack did that come from? My money is on Betty."

"Pssh, Betty loves Archie. Although, I'm seeing where you're getting this conclusion from." I put my thumb under my chin, thinking, "She's good at cooking. That's all Juggie needs"

 _Not really_.

"Riight? And they get along like a house on fire!" Sam tapped her fingers on the table, "Just imagine, they'll have blond, blue-eyed, angsty yet genius kids."

 _I really don't want to think about it, Sam_.

" _I'm right here_." Jughead intercepted, frowning at us.

"We know, Beanie Boy," Sam snickered, "Are you that against marrying Betty?"

"No. It's uncomfortable." He deadpanned.

 _You and me both, pal._

"Well, I would've said Max, considering your amazing chemistry."

 _...okay what._

"Oh, no-" I began but Sam cut me off.

"Take _Max_ to the dance!" She said, excited. "It could be a platonic date."

"I don't do dances. There are too many people." Jughead drank his coffee signalled on of the waitresses for a refill.

 _What is this sinking feeling in my stomach?_

"Geez, Sam." I sighed, "I'll come with you to the dance, okay?"

"Yes!" Sam threw her hands up, "Let's go dress shopping today."

I laughed nervously, "The thing is I already have a few dresses. I bought them for the Taste of Riverdale and the recital."

"I don't think anyone has ever seen you in a dress." Jughead spoke, glancing at one of the new waitresses who was refilling his coffee cup. He mumbled a thanks to her to which she smiled and walked away.

"I'm not the type to wear a dress, anyway." I grumbled, looking away, "This is such a boring conversation. Why are we even talking about this?"

Sam let out an over-dramatic sigh, "I have to agree with Pierce. This conversation makes no sense. In view of that, Jones, come shopping with us for dresses!"

" _No._ "

* * *

 **I am so sorry for the quality of this chapter. The last scene was cringeworthy. I promise I'll make it up to all of you.**

 **Please do leave a review if you liked the chapter or the story up till now (Even if it has been only four chapter)**

 **Thank you all for favorite-ing and following my story!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Hungarian Rhapsody_

 _No. 2_

 _Liszt_

 _That's what she wants me to play!_

 _The only piece I have a problem with and she wants me to fucking play it at the recital where most of who know me will be present!_

I gripped my hair out of exasperation as I sat in front of my grand piano. Grundy, who said that it was up to me to play whatever I wanted to for the recital, had now told me to play 'Rage Over a Lost Penny' by Beethoven and 'Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt. I always, always, _always_ have trouble with the latter.

I interlocked my fingers, stretched them and began to play the piece again. My fingers flew over the keys. One minute into playing, my tempo began to decrease and then suddenly, I ended up missing a few keys. I immediately stopped playing and slammed my fingers on random keys, letting out a horrendous sound from the piano.

I inhaled and then let out a loud scream.

My parents were at work, so they wouldn't come running up to my room, as they usually did. The neighbours, however…

"You have to stop screaming like that." Archie's face came into view as I turned towards my window.

Archie and I had lived next to each other for as long as I could remember. Betty lived across the street. While the two of them communicated through sign language and text messages while staring at each other from their respective windows, Archie and I climbed into each other's rooms through the window. Our houses were built so closely that I could walk over my roof to his.

"I. Am. So. _Annoyed_!" I hissed , "I can't play this at all. I don't want to play Liszt!"

The redhead climbed into my room and threw himself on my bed.

I had been given the larger bedroom so that it could fit my bed, my piano and my ever increasing number of books.

"Calm down, Phil." Archie crossed his arms and looked at me, "You've always been able to play whatever you thought was difficult. Just keep practising like you always do."

I sighed, "It's like my fingers are glued together, Archie."

The look he gave me could be translated into 'you absolute dumbass', "You just think that you can't play it. I've seen you skip picnics and movie nights just so you could perfect your playing. You can do it."

I smiled at him, "Thanks, Ginger. You are the best."

He chuckled, "Don't let Jughead hear you say that."

"Speaking of which," I got up and walked to him, "heard from a little birdie that you have _two_ dates for the dance tomorrow?" I lay down next to him, my arms folded across my stomach.

"Betty and Veronica, yes." He turned his head towards me, "I was as surprised as you are now."

"You're a one lucky bastard, Andrews."

* * *

"So, Pierce," Sam said, as we walked down her front porch, "What are you wearing?"

"A dress."

"Ha ha. I mean, describe it to me." She tapped her cane onto the floor, near the stairs. I grabbed her forearm and led her down.

Sam wore a laced, green dress which reached a little below her knees. Her hair was done into a neat bun while I sported my usual bob-cut hair.

"We-ell, I'm wearing a white dress which comes up to my knees. The left side of the dress had black colour lace in the shapes of…..leaves? flowers? It looks nice, though."

"Shoes?" We walked to the car parked on the road, where my mom waited. I wasn't really into driving so she had to drop us to the dance.

"Sneakers." I said.

"Hmm…not that I approve of it but okay." Sam slid into the car after the opened the door to the back seats

I sat next to her.

"Heya, Viv." Sam waved at the front seat.

"Sam, honey, you look gorgeous." Mom smiled as she started the car.

"Don't I ever."

* * *

"Stop stepping on my feet, Sam."

"I can't exactly _see_ , Kevin." Sam hissed back.

Betty was planning on telling Archie that she liked him today.

 _Fucking finally._

I danced with Veronica while Kevin tried and failed to twirl Sam. All of us had our eyes on the redhead and the blonde.

…..Well, except Sam.

Betty was looking at Archie but he had his gaze wandering across the hall.

I twirled Veronica while following Archie's gaze only to…

 _Why the fuck is he staring at Grundy again?_

Josie and her Pussycats were performing a song which the Blossoms had been listening to when the twins were conceived.

Now, I don't know about you but, ew.

Words were exchanged between my best friends and their expressions soured by the second. As the song ended, they all but tore themselves away from each other. The three of us, except for Sam, looked worriedly at them as all of us clapped and cheered for the band.

"You guys up for the after party at Blossoms?" Kevin asked, keeping a hold on Sam.

"Sure."

"Count me in."

Sam and Veronica agreed immediately.

"Um…"I looked at the unsure "I'll pass for today. Kevin, could you drop Sam home?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "You positive you don't want to come with us?"

"Oh, definitely," Sam giggled, "She's going to see Juggie~"

"Who's Juggie?" the latina next to me asked.

"It's that dude who- does he still wear that weird beanie?" Sam asked, "Yeah, that guy. Always so angsty and sarcastic. You're bound to meet him soon."

I sighed and bid them all goodnight, "See you guys on Monday. Make good choices at Cheryl's place. Oh, and take care of Betty, okay?" And walked out of the hall, listening to Sam asking Veronica, "Wait, what happened to Betty?"

Exiting the school building, I made my way to Pop's, where I knew Jughead would be. Sure enough, he was at the same booth, typing away.

"What are you writing so much about?" I sat opposite to him, surprising him a little.

"Why aren't you at the dance?" He asked, abandoning his laptop.

"I was…and then I left." I waved at Pop Tate, who was cleaning the counter. Waving at him didn't necessarily mean that I was greeting him. It meant that ' _Hey, I don't have money but I could use a milkshake. Add it to my tab_.'

"Read your story to me?" I asked, supporting my elbows on the table surface.

Jughead copied me and smirked, "No."

"Please?"

"I will but once it is finished."

We sat there for some time, him typing away and I, sipping on the milkshake until-

"Uh, can I sit, Jughead, Max?" Archie walked up to us, his tie undone.

"If you want." Juggie offered.

I shifted so that the redhead could sit next to me. I smiled at him.

"What are you working on?"

 _Way to break the awkwardness, Ginger McGee._

"My novel."

"It's about this summer, and Jason Blossom." I informed, grinning proudly.

"Seventeen years old and how will he be remembered?" Archie said gloomily, "As captain of the water polo team?"

"The Aquaholics?" Jughead smirked, "Considering how he died, probably not." He said sarcastically.

I swatted his arm, giving him a reprimanding look. He just shrugged in response.

"No, what I mean is-" the redhead began"-Was he doing everything he was supposed to do, everything he wanted. I mean, did he even know what that was?

"Coach Clayton was in here talking to Pop Tate." Jug said, in a 'matter-of-fact' tone, "Varsity. Does that make you, what, Mr. Popular Football God now?"

"Varsity?" I exclaimed, surprised, "Archie, well done! This is good news."

"No." He shook his head, "In fact, I'm kind of terrified I lost my best friend tonight."

 _Betty?_

"If you mean Betty, whatever happened, just talk to her. You know, it'd go a long way." Jughead then leaned forward, "Would've gone a long way with me."

Archie looked a little embarrassed and stood up, "Thanks, Jughead," And then looked at me, "I'm heading to Betty's. Want me to walk you home?"

"Um…" I looked at Jughead, who shrugged as if to tell me 'go on'. "Yeah," I nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that."

It was dead in the night that Kevin and Moose stumbled upon Jason's body at the riverbank. And by morning, everyone wastalking about it.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I really hope this made up for the horrible, cringe-worthy chapter I posted yesterday.**

 **And thank you so much for leaving such lovely reviews!**

 **Question** **: Should I change the movie Jughead plays at the drive-in so that it symbolizes his and Max's friendship?**


	6. Chapter 6

Archie snuck out in the middle of the night.

I knew that because he always makes a lot of noise while climbing down the roof. I think I understand why he went for a midnight run. But at the same time, I think that Archie is hiding something which involves him and Miss Grundy because of the kind of looks they keep sending each other.

Most of us, who were in high school, couldn't sleep at night, knowing that Jason Blossom's alleged killer was out there. Many of us knew Jason personally. Many of us were left sick in the stomach after hearing that Jason was shot right through his head.

I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for school, wearing Archie's hoodie, a green t-shirt which said ' _Slytherin Pride_ ' and the same black jeans which were ripped in the knees. By the time I went downstairs, I realised that the usual murmuring of the radio and dad humming while eating pancakes wasn't there. They just sat at the breakfast table quietly. Even they were horrified of what had happened.

"Good morning," I said, grabbing an apple, "See you guys after school," And started walking to the door.

"Honey? What about breakfast?" Mom asked, standing up from her spot.

"Um, I'm-uh, I'm not hungry." I fiddled with the hem of my dark blue pullover.

Friend or not, Jason and I lived in the same town. His death, by default, affected me too.

"Be careful, kid." Dad called as I exited the house.

As I walked down the street, I saw Betty and Archie walking and talking at a distance. Apparently, Betty's feelings for Archie were one-sided and they had a talk last weekend, after Archie dropped me home. It's good to see that they're back to being best friends again.

I jogged towards them.

"Hello, dear friends." I greeted them. The blonde and the redhead smiled at me, "Am I interrupting something? Cause I can totally-"

"No!" Betty spoke immediately, "No, you're never interrupting anyt-"

"Except for the time when-"

"Shut up, Ginger." I elbowed him the gut.

As soon as we entered the school building, Kevin dragged Betty to the office saying that they were calling her. Sam was already seated in class, he notified me.

Archie and I walked to our lockers when Jughead appeared.

"Hi." He said, just as the redhead opened his locker.

"Hey, Jug." I touched his forearm as he smiled at me and then looked at Archie, "Do you think I can use Jason Blossom's death as an excuse to get out of PE? 'Sorry, Coach, I'm just too depressed and freaked-out right now to do pull-ups.'"

"Don't joke about Jason Blossom." The redhead said seriously.

"What? Sardonic humor is just my way of relating to the world."

"That it is." I agreed.

Jughead looked across the hall and scoffed, "Look, it's the rich kids from The Goonies. All right, I'm out."

"See you in class!" I called after him.

Reggie Mantle, the resident jerk, slammed his shoulder into Jughead and said loudly "Watch it, Wednesday Addams." And walked past us.

I glared at him, "That wasn't necessary, Reggie." But was obviously ignored.

* * *

I was walking with Sam in the hallway when Principal Weatherbee made the announcement.

"Good morning, students." The radio crackled, "This is your principal speaking. There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening, as scheduled. Now, on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sheriff Keller.

"Most of you already know the details," Now, it was Kevin's dad speaking, " but your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found late Saturday night. So as of the weekend, Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide. It is an open and on-going investigation.-"

"-And may I interject, neither I nor my parents will rest until Jason's death is avenged," Cheryl's voice cut across the room, "and his cold-hearted killer is walking the green mile to sit in Old Sparky and fry. I, for one, have my suspicions. #RiverdaleStrong."

"If you know anything that could help us find and apprehend Jason's killer, or anything about what happened to him on July 4th, I strongly urge you to come forward immediately. You can speak with me or Principal Weatherbee. A death like this wounds us all. Let's not let Jason down."'

Sam was oddly quiet throughout the announcement until, "Jason wasn't exactly the Golden Boy, you know."

"What makes you say that?" I questioned, shoving my hands into the pockets of my dark jeans.

"Just some stuff. Even while growing up-"

Sam and I stopped in our tracks as Jughead and Archie were facing each other, with Jughead's back to us.

"Is there something you want to tell me, pal?"

Archie opened his mouth as if to say something but was saved by the bell. He all but ran away, throwing us a glance.

"That didn't sound so nice." The brunette next to me chewed on her lower lip as I made my way to Jughead.

"Is everything okay?" I gripped his shoulder lightly.

In a quiet voice, he said, "I saw him outside Weatherbee's office. It was as if he wanted to say something."

"Let's talk after class." I tightened my grip a little and let go, "I have things to tell you."

* * *

"Seats, everyone. Pair off, gloves on, scalpels up."

I hated Biology.

I hated Biology because we had to do dissections and I really couldn't deal with all the blood.

"Can I be with Cheryl?" Archie spoke up.

"And I wanna be with Betty." Veronica, who was trying to make amends, turned to Betty, who looked uncertain, "Oh, uh, I was thinking I'd partner with Kevin."

I didn't expect Moose, _of all the people_ , to say, "Actually, uh, Keller's with me." He threw a glance at Kevin, "We, like, talked."

"Oh, God." Kevin mouthed and took a seat next to him.

Sam and I sat next to Jughead, with him in the middle.

Sam, obviously, had no need of dissecting frogs. She would just record our observations on tape so that it would help her study for tests.

"-but I can take point on this if it's too weird for you." Archie offered to take the scalpel from the red-haired female.

"Weird, why?" Realization dawned on her face, "Oh, you mean because my brother is being dissected with a blade, just like this one, possibly at this very moment?" Her voice had begun to grow louder and louder until everyone was looking at her. "Don't worry, I'm fine." She looked straight ahead as she stabbed the frog and dragged the scalpel horizontally. Blood splattered on her gloves. "In fact, I'm amazing."

I fainted.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Thank you all for your suggestions and opinions in the review! They are much appreciated!**

 **Please, please leave a review if you feel that some character is too OOC or just leave a review! ^_^ I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

 **Reviews inspire me to write faster!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you sure you're okay, Max?" Betty asked, her voice laced with concern.

I was holding an icepack to my temple, as the two us sat walked across the field for lunch with Veronica, Sam and Kevin.

"Yep. I'm swell." I grumbled, "I can't faint every time I see blood, god fucking dammit."

"Yeah, she's fine." Sam confirmed, twiddling her thumbs.

"You faint at the sight of blood?" Veronica frowned.

"Every fucking time I see a lot of blood." I turned my head slightly to look at her, "Change the topic of conversation. Please."

"So," The Latina began, "what did Moose want?" looking at Kevin

"Oh, my God, I don't even think he knows. I mean, I am devastatingly handsome in that classic, pre-accident Montgomery Clift kind of way," Sam and I snorted at this, "and sexuality is fluid, but can someone named Moose actually be that fluid?"

Ronnie laughed at this, "Okay, well, I ship it."

"Well, of course you would." Kevin replied, "You're a big city girl with loose morals."

The Latina frowned at the statement as we approached Archie who was leaning over a couple of notes, sitting on a picnic bench.

"Kevin!" I elbowed him, giving him an incredulous look. Sam stomped her walking cane on his feet.

He yelped in pain, "I just meant that Moose has an official girlfriend, Midge. "Anyway, it's terrible to say, but part of me wishes he would just stay in the darn closet."

Archie looked up as I bit the inside of my cheek while Sam snickered. Betty and Veronica awkwardly sat down, with their lunch trays in front of them.

"Obviously, I didn't mean literal closet." Kevin tried to explain himself.

The air grew thick with awkwardness until Veronica said, "Archie! Any new material you wanna try out on a very forgiving audience?" Judging the hesitant look on his face, she said, " _Please?_ "

"Would you? I'd love to hear it." Betty smiled.

"Go for it, Gingerlake!" Sam said, loudly. Hearing silence, she exclaimed, "What? I heard Josie referring to you by that name."

We chuckled lightly as Archie agreed to sing.

" _Come on, turn the radio on_

 _And, honey we'll dance, dance, dance_

 _For the rest of the night_

 _I'm not ready to go"_

All of us started clapping until Archie glanced at Betty, who sat there teary-eyed.

"Betty? You okay?" The redhead asked, his voice laced with worry.

Betty chuckled softly, "I'm supposed to say, "Yes." That's what the nice girl always says, but," She suddenly stood up, "No, I'm not. I want to be. I thought I could be." She took a step back, but it's too much, too fast, Archie" with that she turned around and started walking away.

"Go after her," Sam hissed at Archie who quickly grabbed his letterman jacket and ran to the blonde

"Betty!" He called after her.

He yelled her name a few times, telling her to wait, until she turned with tears running down her face. We couldn't really hear what they were talking about, but whatever it was, was interrupted by Principal Weatherbee.

"I should probably go after her." I said, standing up, "See you in class?" I looked at the three, who nodded.

I followed Betty to the girls' washroom, which surprisingly was empty.

"Hey, Bets?" I said, gently.

She suddenly threw her arms around me and sobbed loudly.

I patted her back lightly, "You know, I'm really bad at consoling people. But, let me just say that no person in this entire world is worth your tears, Elizabeth."

She sniffed in response.

"Is Archie the reason there's a rift between you and Veronica?"

"The-they kissed." The blonde managed to hiccup.

"Hmm…the night of the dance?"

She nodded and pulled back, rubbing her eyes.

"Betty, listen to me," I took her hand, "You can't force anyone to like you, you know that, right? It's not Ronnie's or anybody's fault that Archie doesn't love you that way you love him. Archie is your best friend. He would never do anything intentionally to hurt you." I squeezed her hand reassuringly, "And Veronica is trying her best to make things right with you."

"Are you taking their side?" The blonde let go of me and stepped back.

"Wha-no! Betty, why would you think that?" I exclaimed, "You're one of my best friends. I can't see you hurting like this."

"I just-I think I need a little more time, Max." She wiped her cheeks.

I smiled and patted her on the head, "Take all the time you need, Bets. We're right here for you."

* * *

I found myself in the music room again, practising ' _Rage Over a Lost Penny'_. I keep putting off practising the pieces that I find difficult. Dad always calls me an escapist because I preferred to not deal with my problems.

I stopped playing for a while and just sat there, staring into space.

 _I wonder if Betty is alright. I feel sorry for Veronica. She's making an honest effort and nobody is willing to give her another chance. Speaking of which, I hope dad doesn't cook today. He's terrible at cooking. I wish it was '_ Make your own pizza' _day to-_

"- not right but it's real."

 _What._

"Which is why we can't go to Weatherbee."

I stood up slowly and peeked outside the piano room.

 _Archibald and fucking Grundy! Why are they standing so close? Oh my god, they're doing that forehead touchy thing!_

I closed the door as quietly as I could, in a daze and sat down in a corner of the room.

 _Archie and fucking Grundy._

 _Well, shit._

By the time Archie and Grundy left, school was over. I tiptoed out of the music room, clutching my book bag to my chest. The hallway was empty.

"Max?"

I let out a scream and turned to the voice.

It was Jughead, with a startled look on his face.

"Juggie, yes-I was going to-to find you." I let out a nervous laugh.

"Are you okay now?" He asked, worry written all over his face.

"Me? Pssh, I'm great. Why wouldn't I be?" I scratched my nose.

He narrowed his eyes, stuffing his hands into his jacket pocket, "One, you fainted in Biology and two, you are dying to tell me something."

"About the fainting thing, I'm totally fine." I waved it away, "Although….how do you always know that I have something to say?"

"I just do. Now talk."

I lowered my voice, "It's Archie…and-"

"Grundy?" He questioned.

I was taken aback, "How do you know?"

"I came looking for you to the music room when I saw them. How do you know about them?" We started walking towards the exit.

"I was practising and had stopped for a while when I heard their voices. I peeped outside to see them mumbling and holding each other. They shouldn't have been so careless."

Jughead looked at me as if I was crazy, "Max, they shouldn't be doing that in the first place."

"You're gonna talk to him, aren't you?"

* * *

Jughead and I sat on the front porch of the Andrews' residence, waiting for Archie. He arrived twenty minutes later.

"Jug, Phil, What's up?" He said, stopping in front of us.

"What's up is we saw you, Archie." Jughead and I got up, the former taking a step forward. "In the music room. With Ms. Grundy."

Archie's eyes widened "Keep your voice down, my dad's inside."

"We're just trying to help you, Arch." I said, attempting to reason with him.

"We're trying to be your friends here. Even though we're" Jughead gestured between the two of them, "not anymore.

"How long has this been going on?" I crossed my arms, "You and Grundy?"

"Since the summer." The redhead looked at me, "I like her."

Jughead scoffed at this, "So I'm guessing she's the reason you've been acting weird since summer?

"One of them." Archie looked away.

"One of them?" Juggie and I said in unison.

"There's more?" The dark-haired boy questioned.

"We were at Sweetwater River on July 4th." Archie explained, "We heard a gunshot. _The_ gunshot."

Jughead's eye widened, "Dude, you have to tell somebody."

"I can't." He shook his head, "Neither can you two. If people find out about Grundy-"

"A kid is dead, Archie!" I snapped.

"And you're worried about some-some cougar?" Jughead said, disgusted.

"Don't call her that." Archie defended Grundy, "Okay, she's not like that, she cares about me."

"Stab in the dark, I'm guessing she cares more about herself." Seeing Archie's aggravated look, Juggie continued, "She's the one who's telling you not to say anything, right? Look, I saw you guys. She's messing with you, man. And she's messing with your mind."

He tried to convince Archie by gripping his should but the ginger shrug him off, "What the hell do you know about it, Jughead?" Archie's voice grew louder "Or about me, even? Nothing."

"But we used to know this guy once." Jughead began, "Archie Andrews. He wasn't perfect but-" sighing, he continued, "He always tried to do the right thing, at least.

"Jug," Archie sighed in annoyance, "If you two tell anyone about this-"

"What?" Jughead stood in front of me, "What are you gonna do?"

"Hey, Jug. Max." The door opened to reveal Fred, Archie's dad, "Coming in? We got take-out from Pop's."

"They were just leaving." Archie spat as he walked into his house.

"Juggie's having dinner with us, Fred." I smiled at the older man, "Thanks for the invite, though."

"Anytime, Max." He smiled back and closed the door.

"Come on, Jug. Let's go." I pulled at his sleeve.

He reluctantly followed me to my house next door.

"Mom, I'm home! And Jug's with me." I called out as soon as we entered my home.

"In the kitchen!" Mom called back.

We left our hoodies in the living room and made a beeline to the kitchen.

"Evening, Vivien." Jughead said, kissing my mom's cheek affectionately. Mom laughed and patted his cheek. Jughead and I sat on the kitchen counters as mom cooked.

"What's for dinner?" I asked, swinging my feet lightly.

"Spaghetti" Mom said, stirring the noodles in the pot.

We made small talk, while setting up the table. Dad arrived just as the food was set on the table.

"Food! Oh, give me." He flung his coat on the couch and power-walked to the table, "Hey, Jug. How've you been?""

"Things could be better, Ed." Jughead said as we sat next to each other with mom and dad sitting opposite to us.

"Well," Dad began, pushing up his glasses, "There has never been a sadness that can't be cured by breakfast food."

"…..Dad, we're having spaghetti."

"Oh."

* * *

Jughead and I sat on the roof of my house, after dinner, like we always did when we were kids.

"Do you think Jason's murderer would be someone we know?" I asked, leaning on my arms and looking at the night sky.

"Probably." Juggie responded, "Riverdale is sort of a small town."

We fell back into a comfortable silence until I said, "Who would've thought our lives would become so complicated. None of this was supposed to happen. Jason, Archie and Grundy…I used to think the worst problem in this town were the Southside Serpents." I straightened up and rested my head on Jughead's shoulder.

"Hmm. Well, whatever has to go wrong, will go wrong." He replied, tilting his head such that it rested lightly on mine.

"Perhaps."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Please leave a review! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to IM me or leave it in a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

" _Reggie dropped you home?"_ I shrieked, catching the attention of Betty and Veronica, who were standing in the hallway.

"It's not a big deal, Max." Sam said, twirling her hair around her index finger.

"Reggie dropped you home?" Betty asked, shocked as the two came and stood with us.

"Well, Kevin ditched me and I couldn't find any one of you at the dance so he offered. It's not a big deal, really."

"I totally forgot that it was Kevin who found-" I lowered my voice, "-found Jason's body in the river. I'm such an idiot."

"We're so sorry, Sam." Ronnie said, touching Sam's forearm.

The brunette laughed, "Hey, I got back home in one piece. You guys don't have to apologize."

"But-but _Reggie Mantle_ dropped you home." I still couldn't believe it."

Sam ignored me and said to the blonde and the dark-haired girl, "So, it seems that your friendship is fixed."

"Yeah, it is." Betty nodded, "I over-reacted and-"

"And, nothing" The Latina cut in, "Whatever happened is in the past. We just have to live in the now."

"Wow, Doctor Phil." I said in an astonished voice, "That's deep."

"The only Dr. Phil here is you, Max." Sam snorted, motioning us to walk to class.

"Wait, what?" Veronica looked confused.

"I sense confusion coming from Ronnikins." Sam stated, "Max's first name is Phyllis."

" _Shut up, Sam!_ "

* * *

We were all sitting in the students' lounge, unwillingly listening to Reggie's blabberings.

"And Sheriff Keller's grilling me, Mantle the Magnificent." He spoke, smugly, "'Cause I'd want Blossom dead. When he was, like, the only good quarterback we had." He threw a look at Moose, who was sitting opposite to him, "And speaking of offensive tight-ends, I should've sent the cops to you, Moose, because here's another unsolved mystery." He smirked disgustingly, "What exactly were you and Kevin doing at the river, huh? Or does being with the sheriff's son give you a free pass? Keller?" He looked at Kevin, who sat between Betty and Sam on the couch. I sat on the arm of the couch, leaning against Betty

"Reggie's just being a blowhard, Kev." Betty mumbled to him.

"I don't care what he says." Kevin responded.

"Atta boy." Sam said.

"I mean, let's think about it." _Oh god, someone stop Reggie from talking_ , "If a kid at Riverdale killed Jason, it's not gonna be a jock, right?" He kept glancing at Jughead who stood next to a vending machine, leaning onto a table, "Now let's be honest. Isn't it always some spooky, scrawny, pathetic Internet troll, too busy writing his manifestos to get laid? Some smug, moody, serial killer fanboy freak, like Jughead?"

"That's enough, Reggie." I snapped.

Reggie laughed, ignoring me like always, "What was it like, Suicide Squad? When you shot Jason? You didn't do stuff to the body, did you? Like After?"

"It's called necrophilia, Reggie," Jughead mocked him, "can you spell it?"

"Come here, you little-"The taunt aggravated him and he got up, leaping towards Jughead.

"Hey shut the hell up, Reggie." Archie surprised everyone by coming to Jug's rescue.

"Boys." Veronica said, cautiously from where she sat on the single couch's arm, next to Chuck Clayton.

"What do you care, Andrews?" Reggie spat in the redhead's face.

"Nothing, just leave him alone." He said, looking at Reggie dead in the eye.

"Holy crap." Reggie laughed, "Did you and Donnie Darko kill him together? Was it some sort of pervy, blood brother thing?"

Archie pushed Reggie violently who paused for a moment and suddenly they were seizing up each other. Reggie retaliated by pushing Archie back with all the force he could muster up. The red-haired boy hit the vending machine, his back shattering the glass and fell. Jughead went in to stop them but was pulled back by Moose. As the chaos subsided, Archie was lying on the ground

He was out cold.

I stood up silently and walked over to Reggie. Jughead's eyes widened when he saw me.

"No, Max-"

"Hey, Mantle?" I tapped the jock's shoulder.

He turned.

And I punched him right across his jaw and he fell down, clutching his chin.

"Don't touch my best friends."

* * *

"Motherfu-" I bit back the curse as Betty bandaged my hand.

Betty, Jughead and I were in the Med Room, where the blonde was nursing my sprained wrist.

Jughead stood with his arms crossed, frowning at me, "You didn't have to do that."

"And yet-OW- I did." I said, wincing as the blonde pulled my right hand a little, securing the bandage.

"You have the Taste of Riverdale coming up next week." He argued, "You can't play with an injured hand!"

Betty finished wrapping my hand and I mumbled a 'thank you' to her and then turned to Jughead, "He shouldn't have said such things to you. And he shouldn't have touched Archie."

"I agree that he shouldn't have said blamed Juggie, but he's right," Betty nodded at Jughead, "You can't play like this." She gestured at my fist.

"Yeah, well, priorities." I sighed.

Jughead flicked my forehead.

Betty blinked before she, too, flicked my forehead.

"Ow, okay, alright! I'm sorry." I rubbed the spot they had flicked with my good hand, "It's just a sprain. It'll be alright in a day or two. I heal fast." I sighed and asked, "How's Arch?"

"He" Betty began, "is sporting a black eye."

"Doesn't he have a game tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think that it'll get in the way of his playing."

"Tch," I clicked my tongue, "And Sam was saying that it wasn't a big deal that Reggie dropped her home."

"What?" Jughead sounded a little surprised.

"On the night of the dance." I said, "Reggie walked Sam home. I almost went into shock when she told me."

I looked at Betty and Jughead, who stared back at me, "Everyone in this fucking town is hiding something, aren't they?

* * *

Sam stayed home because she 'can't see the game so what's the point?' And I couldn't find Kevin anywhere so I decided to stay with Jughead.

He was leaning against the bleachers as I sat on the grass. We observed as Archie spoke with Grundy out on the field. As Archie turned to glance at us, Juggie looked away. The redhead said something to Grundy and started walking towards us.

"Girl trouble?" the corner of Jughead's mouth twitched upwards, "You?"

"Grundy and me. We're telling Weatherbee." Archie said, "At least, I am." He looked down at me, offering a hand, which I clasped, with my good hand, mind you. Arch pulled me up and continued, "And also, I didn't mean all that crap I said to you. Both of you. I'm sorry."

Jughead contemplated the sentence for a moment before saying, "It's cool."

"No problems from my side," I said, chuckling.

Archie waited for a second before Jughead smiled lightly, "We're not gonna hug in front of this whole town."

The red-haired jock laughed at this.

"So why don't we both just do that bro thing where we nod like douches and mutually suppress our emotions?"

"Yeah, but as friends, right?" Archie asked

"To be discussed," the dark haired boy said, "over many burgers, and many days."

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm in for a hug!" I threw my arms around the two of them, "My boys are friends again!" I laughed.

Archie and Jughead both chuckled at this with Jughead's arm around my back and Archie patting my shoulder.

As I let go of them, I wished the football played all the best, "Annihilate them, Ginger McGee!"

He smiled and ran back to the field.

"We're not your boys." Jughead smirked.

"Uh, yes you are. Have been since we were five." I said, elbowing him on the side.

"Maybe." He smiled.

* * *

Cheryl had run away in the middle of the pep rally and Veronica had chased after her, followed by Betty.

After the game, I met up with Betty and Veronica. The three of us decided to go to Pop's for a milkshake.

"I'll just have a coffee, please." I told the waitress as Betty and I sat opposite to each other at our usual booth. Veronica slid in next to me.

"Here you go. One double chocolate , one old-fashioned vanilla and a coffee." The waitress arrived with our order a few moments later.

The three of us thanked her as she left.

"Betty" Veronica said, "Can we make a vow?"

"Sure." The blonde agreed.

"That no matter what, no boy will ever come between us again. Deal?" the dark haired girl raised her glass of milkshake.

"Deal." Betty smiled, raising her glass to meet Veronica's.

The two of them turned quizzically towards me.

"What? That's your vow, not mine" I said.

" _Max_ "

"Okay, sheesh, Elizabeth." I said as my cup of coffee touched theirs.

The door to the diner opened and Archie and Jughead joined in. Ronnie and I looked at them and Betty followed our gaze and turned.

After glancing at the two of us, she asked the boys, "Do you guys want to join us? "

A look passed between the boys until Jughead walked over to us, "Yes, but only if you're treating."

Veronica introduced herself to him, laughing, "Veronica Lodge." He stepped on the booth seat behind us and climbed into ours, sitting next to me.

"Jughead Jones," He said, "the third."

"Jughead Jones, the third." Veronica nodded at him as Archie sat down next to Betty.

I leaned into Jughead's shoulder as he placed his arm on the backrest, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the other two girls.

"By the way, his first name is actually-"

" _Shut up, Max."_

* * *

 **Thanks for all the favorite-ing and following my story! I never thought I would get so many positive reviews about my fic.**

 **Shout out to** ** _Cheshire The Iconic Me_** **for giving me ideas and for leaving so many reviews! I love you already!**

 **Anon(Guest) : Thank you for the suggestion! I was actually thinking the same thing. But after giving it much thought, I realised that the only way for my OCs to connect with the canon characters was to be in the scene with them. Nevertheless, I have written some to-be published non-canon scenes. Thank you so much for taking the time to my fic!**


	9. Chapter 9

Cheryl was arrested while we were in Biology.

Apparently, something in autopsy didn't add up so Sheriff Keller and Principal Weatherbee showed up in our fifth period class. Cheryl didn't even protest.

There was a gunshot, Cheryl had said. After she left Jason, who wanted to leave town, at the Greendale side, she had heard a gunshot.

Alice Cooper had leaked the autopsy report and then written an article about Cheryl in the Riverdale Register. To say Betty was mad would be an understatement.

"I knew that Alice hated the Blossoms, but this horrendous." Mom said, skimming through the article during breakfast, "She has children of her own. She's a mother. What kind of a woman would make someone who just lost their child go through this? I would _never_ do that even if I hated her."

"Penelope is just as twisted as Alice, Viv." Dad said, putting on his jacket, "Remember high school? I still wonder how I managed to make it through. Hated school. Anyway, Max, honey?"

I looked up from my bowl of cereal.

"How's the wrist?"

"It's only been two days, but it's alright, I suppose. I can't exactly play but yeah…" I trailed off, looking at mom.

"Why you would punch Reggie is beyond me," Mom sighed, "What if you mess up your performance during the recital or at the Taste of Riverdale this weekend."

"Reggie was talking crap about Juggie, Mom."

"You could've kicked him in the ba-"

" _Sweetheart_ "

"-where the sun don't shine. You can't punch people every time someone badmouths Jughead."

"Oh yes, she can." Dad said, looking at us while slowly sipping his coffee.

"Look," I told mom, "My wrist will be fine by tomorrow. And it's not as if I'm playing anything difficult. I'll be taking requests and I'll play the easier ones, alright?"

Mom sighed again, "I just want you to be the best in town, honey."

 _Not this again._

I got up and grabbed my messenger bag, "Don't talk like Alice, mom." And fled the scene.

" _Phyllis Pierce, get your butt back here._ "

I ran out of the house to see Archie pacing up and down his porch.

"Hey, Ginger!" I called out to him.

He looked at me, troubled and walked towards me.

"What's with that fa-"

"I'm telling Weatherbee today." He said, gravely.

"About you hearing the gunshot? I know, you told me and Jughead during the pep rally. What about Grundy?" I asked as we walked past the Cooper's residence.

"I won't mention her. If asked, I'll say that I was alone with Vegas or something"

I touched his shoulder, "Just don't get yourself into trouble, Arch. There's already a lot of that going around."

"Yeah…."

* * *

" _Why the fuck would you go out with Chuck Clayton_?"

I exclaimed loudly as Archie, Kevin and Betty stared at Veronica. Sam stayed quiet.

"Max is right," Betty said, "Chuck is kind of a player."

"Who cares?" Kevin said, excitedly, "He's the hottest of hot, and he's the varsity football coach's son. In Riverdale, that's like dating a Kennedy."

"Just be careful, Ronnie," Sam spoke up from beside me, "Don't trust that guy too soon."

Betty and I frowned at the statement.

"Don't worry about me, Sammy." Veronica said, cheerfully.

The five of us parted ways, until Betty caught up with me.

"What's up?" I asked her, matching her step.

"I'm re-starting the school newspaper and I need your help." The blonde fidgeted with the hem of her red top.

"Sure! What do you need?"

"Poetry? I remember you writing a lot of them back in middle school. If you're still up to it or if you know anyone who writes. We can have just articles and poems and stuff just like the local newspaper."

"Yeah, I'll ask around." I nodded.

 _I can pen down some and submit them anonymously._

"Also, I need help with the -"

"Investigating Jason's death, are you?" I asked, "You've always been too curious, Elizabeth. Okay, I'm in."

"Great! Now I just need to rope in Jughead."

* * *

"Move it, Pierce. We need to find Doiley." Jughead walked into the piano room where I was trying and failing to play ' _Winter Wind'_

 _I can't even play the beginning properly. My right wrist hurts too much._

I could feel the tears prickling my eyes as I looked at Jughead.

"..What happened?" Jughead asked, worriedly.

That was all it took for me to burst out crying, "I can't play, Juggie. My wrist hurts so much. A-and the Taste of Riverdale thing is this weekend. What-what if this injury is permanent? What-*sniff* if I never play again? This is hopeless. I've never played so horribly in my entire life. I don't want to stop playing"

"Lis, what are you talking about?" He knelt in front of me, "It's just a sprain. You'll be playing again in no time. Calm down."

I hid my face in the sleeves of the borrowed hoodie I was wearing, trying to wipe away my tears, "Fuck, I must look like an idiot right now."

Jughead clasped my hands in his, gently bringing my hands down, "Hey, this is actually quite normal for you. You always panic before your performance. I've lost count the number of times Archie and I or your parents had to calm you down."

I leaned against his shoulder, "I don't want to screw this up."

"Max," He cupped my face with both his hands, "you've never messed up any performance. You'll be great." He reassured me.

 _When did his palms get so calloused?_

I looked at him, trying to ignore how close his face was to mine, "What would I do without you, Juggie?"

"Let's never find out about that."

* * *

Instead of practising the piano, I decided to write that night in my room.

Now, I'm not much of a writer like Jughead or anything, but my poetry skills were acceptable.

 _Thank god I injured my right hand and not my left_ , I though as I picked up a pen and started writing down the words that came to my mind, ' _When words run dry-'_

A sudden flash of a familiar beanie in my mind made me freeze. I blinked it away and started writing more.

It became more and more difficult to not think of the person as I wrote more and more. I tried picturing someone else like Archie or Betty or even Kevin. I always came back to square one.

By the time it was midnight, I had written a couple of poems and all I had in mind was Jughead which made my ears grow hot.

* * *

We couldn't find Dilton Doiley yesterday so we decided to look for him today during lunch, in the lower fields where he and his scouts do their….marching….stuff.

I found Veronica, Kevin and Betty staring into their phones, looking aghast. Sam just there with an 'I-told-you-so' face.

"Guys, what's up?" I asked, frowning as Kevin shoved his phone into my face.

It was a picture of Veronica. With maple syrup dripping on it.

"What….is this. Wait. Is this a Sticky Maple thing?" I looked confused.

"No, this is Chuck Clayton slut-shamming Veronica." Sam said, much to our surprise.

"And I'm neither a slut, nor am I going to be shamed by someone named, excuse me, Chuck Clayton." Veronica all but raged on, "Does he really think he can get away with this? Does he not know who I am? I will cut the brakes on his souped-up phallic symbol."

"Or we can go to Principal Weatherbee." Betty suggested.

"About the coach's son?" I asked.

"Who is captain of the football team," Sam added

"And Riverdale High's resident golden boy?" Kevin raised his eyebrow at the blonde as Veronica began to walk away. I and Kevin grabbed Sam and began to follow her.

"Or I can expose him in the pages of the Blue and Gold." Betty followed us, "Yeah, I can do that!"

"No." Veronica snapped, "Spoken like a true good girl who always follows the rules." Her pace became faster, "Well, I don't follow rules, I make them, and when necessary, I break them. You wanna help me get revenge on Chuck, Betty, awesome. But you better be willing to go full dark, no stars." She stopped suddenly and looked at us, "What do you say, in or out?"

"I'm in." Sam said, surprising us again.

"Me too." I said.

We all looked at Betty.

* * *

 **Hey, everyone!  
Thank you for such amazing reviews, all the favorites and follows. I feel so loved (^-^)  
The story is being put on a very temporary hold. I have exams this week and the next, but I shall try my best to update as soon as I can.  
Please leave a review if you have any suggestions or ideas or complains or queries/questions or just leave a review. I appreciate constructive criticism!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Out of the way, filth." Sam yelled, slamming her walking cane onto the shins of half-naked football players, "You'd think they would never have showered judging by how foul the locker room smells."

"Sam, Sam!" Betty covered the sides of her eyes, focusing on the brunette, "Slow down or you'll fall."

The three of us, along with Ronnie, had entered the boys' locker room to confront Chuck. Suddenly, Sam hit someone who yelped and tried to get out of our way.

"Veronica? Betty, Max? What're you guys doing here?" Archie held his towel in place as Betty covered her eyes.

"Don't worry about it." Veronica said, walking past him. When Archie tried to block her path, the Latina hissed at him, "I mean it, Andrews. Hit the showers and stay out of my way."

"I'd listen to her if I were you," Sam said, "Oh, and you dropped your towel."

Betty and I grew red from embarrassment as we both were caught staring by the redhead, whose towel had not, in fact, dropped.

"Let's go, Betty."

"Yep."

Chuck stood there, surrounded by his goons, smirking as we entered his line of vision.

"Ladies." He smirked.

Veronica shoved her phone in his face, showing her the picture, "This. Is disgusting. Take it down."

"Whoa, whoa." His grin grew wider, "Why are you so wound up? It's a badge of honour, and you're not exactly virgin territory after your closet date with Andrews."

"Okay, that's beyond irrelevant, Chuck." Betty said, "You're not allowed to go around _humiliating girls_ , for any reason, under _any_ circumstances, you-you jerk."

"Stop being an asshole and take the fucking picture down." I snapped. His attitude was getting onto my nerves.

"Why don't you use your dirty mouth somewhere else, babe." Chuck said, as the others around him burst into laughter at the innuendo. My mouth dropped at that statement.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Sam growled.

"Look, I get you're not a closet kind of girl," Chuck completely ignored Sam. Instead he focused on Betty, "but hey, if you wanna ride the Chuck Wagon, that can be arranged."

The dark-haired Latina scoffed at this, "Let's keep this simple, so that your preppy-murderer half-brain can grasp it. Take. This. The hell. Down."

Chuck frowned dangerously at us, "Okay, that high-toned bitch attitude may have worked on the betas you dated in New York, but you're in Bulldog territory." His teammates barked around him.

"We're gonna find some dirt on you, Clayton." Sam warned, "And you'll be in a lot of trouble." She turned and tried to walk away when one of the boys tripped her. She about to fall flat on her face when-

"Why don't you cowards pick on someone your own size?" _Reggie Mantle_ had caught Sam, preventing her from falling.

Betty and I rushed forward to grab her from him.

"Get her out of here." Reggie ordered, looking at me.

"Thanks, Reggie," Sam said in a meek voice as we led her out of the locker room.

* * *

Jughead and I found Doiley and his scouts in the lowers fields where they were all listening to Doiley's speech while standing in a straight line.

"At ease, Doiley." Jughead said, "I'm writing an article for the Blue and Gold. Hoping you can help."

"Dismissed." Dilton looked at his scouts, "But stay close."

"Cheryl and Archie both say they heard a gunshot the morning of July 4th," I said, "but they don't know who fired."

"Sheriff Keller already asked me about this." Dilton scoffed at me, "And like I told him, my Scouts and I, we didn't hear anything weird."

"Well, did you _see_ anything weird?" Jughead narrowed his eyes

Dilton pretended to think and then mockingly said, "A white-winged crossbill. A long-eared owl. Oh, and Cheryl, sitting by the river, soaking wet."

Realising that we wouldn't any answers from him, I thanked him for his time and led Jughead away, "That guy's definitely lying. He was forcing himself to make eye-contact." I said after we had put sufficient distance between us and the scouts.

"One of the scouts knows something." Jughead said.

"How do you know that?"

"He was looking at us nervously while we talked to Doiley."

"So we should probably be on a look out for that kid."

* * *

" _You're grounded?"_

I looked at Archie incredulously.

"Yep."

" _And_ Grundy bailed on you?"

"Yes."

"So now, the _Pussycats_ are gonna help you?"

" _Max!"_ Archie looked at me, exasperated as I leaned from my window.

"What? I'm making sure I have my facts straight because _somebody_ refuses to tell me anything on his own." I scribbled down a couple of words on the notebook I was holding as I sat on his window sill.

Archie stuffed pillows underneath the blankets of his bed to make it look as if someone was sleeping there.

"Move back." He said as he grabbed his guitar.

I did as he said and he climbed out of the window.

"Don't make too much noise. You always make too much noise when you climb out." I warned him but he was already sliding down the roof. He looked at me, waved and ran away.

I sighed and climbed back into my room, glancing at the half-written poems that lay on my study-table.

 _Guess it's time to go to Pop's._

* * *

While on the stakeout, Betty had called me, informing that Veronica wasn't the first victim, that there had been multiple girls, _one of them being Sam_.

"I swear to God I'll personally castrate whoever did this to Sam. Hell, whoever who did this to any girl." Jughead gave me weird looks

"That's the thing, Max." Betty's voice came though the phone, "We're going to look for the book, tonight."

"Text me the time and I'll be there." I said and we hung up.

"What's wrong?" Jughead asked with concern.

"Chuck Clayton and his team of dicks are slut-shamming girls. They got Veronica today. Sam was a victim to."

"And you're going to bring him down?"

"Yes."

Nothing more was said between us until the scout kid arrived.

The boy was here with his dad, who bought him a sundae which looked appetizing. As soon as the father was gone, Jughead jumped over the booth and sat down with his legs on the boothseat. I slid in next to him.

Without so much as a warning, Juggie plucked the cherry from the sundae and ate it.

It was then that the scout noticed us, "What the hell, man?"

"I saw the way you looked at us." Jughead said, "During Grizzly training. You're hiding something."

When he didn't say anything, I hissed at him, " _Talk before I beat it out of you_ "

"She's not even joking." Jughead said, in an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone.

"It's Scoutmaster Doiley." The kid cried, "He's lying."

"About what?" I asked

"The gunshot. It was him." We frowned at this. "He was teaching us how to shoot targets."

"Dilton Doiley" Jughead began, "shot the gun on July 4th?

"He's a hard core survivalist." The scout leaned in, whispering, "He says if we don't protect ourselves, no one will."

"Well, he's not wrong." I said.

* * *

 **One test down, so many more to go *le cries***

 **Also, o** **h my god, the response to this story is unbelievable! I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to read this story.**

 **Thank you thank you thank you! x)**

 **Leave a review if you liked the chapter or thought that a canon character was OoC or if you have any questions about the story.  
**

 **Also. Bughead. Zomg.**


	11. Chapter 11

Sam's name was written alongside Jason Blossom's, a few names above his and Polly's name.

I was on the list, too. My name was written next to this jock who had long since transferred school. There was a zero next to my name, though.

"New girl? Is that what I'm reduced to?" Veronica read out, "Nine points?"

"Better than 'Big girl', seven point five." Ethel Muggs pointed out.

"Polly's in this book, next to Jason's name." The dark haired girl looked at Betty, " I'm so sorry, Betty."

The blonde walked a distance and I trailed after her, gripping her shoulder with my good hand as she stopped. Betty placed her hand on mine, seeking comfort.

"This isn't Jason would never-" Betty cut off Cheryl, tired of her naivety, "It's right there, Cheryl! God." Her eyes were red, " _Your brother_ hurt my sister. _This_ is what guys like Jason and Chuck think about women. We're objects for them to abuse. And when they're done with us, they shame us into silence. They have _zero remorse_ for the lives they destroy."

"Maybe I don't know Jason." Cheryl murmured.

"I'll take a picture," Ronnie took her phone out and took a photo of the page, "We'll show it to Weatherbee. It'll be the perfect cover for your expose, Betty."

"Yeah, but no." Betty shook her head, "These girls deserve justice, don't you think, Cheryl? You want vengeance? You wanna go full dark, no stars, Veronica? I'm with you. And I have a plan."

* * *

"When were you planning on telling me this, Sam?" I asked, walking into her room, the next afternoon.

"I'm guessing this is about that score book?" Sam closed the Braille book that she was reading and set it aside on her bed, "To be honest, I wasn't planning on telling anyone."

"But why?" I sat next to her, holding her hand, "You could've told me. We could've done something about it."

"No, Max, you don't know the whole story." She protested, "Reggie helped me."

" _Reggie Mantle?_ " I exclaimed, "What? Why would he do that? He's a class A douchebag."

"Not really." Sam fidgeted with the hem of her summerdress, "He can be nice when he wants to."

"Why would he be nice to you?" I asked, bewildered by her statement, "He barely knows you."

"Max," The brunette said, suddenly calm, "His parents are the reason I'm blind."

"What do you mean?" I asked sharply, placing myself at the foot of her bed.

"The accident I was involved in," She said, her unfocused eyes looked tired, "It was Reggie's parents who were driving that car four years ago. The hit and run case. I have never told this to anyone, not even mom. Reggie knows and he feels guilty. Maybe that's why he tries to protect me, I don't know. He told Jason to back off."

"Not telling your mother that the Mantles' are the cause for your visual impairment," I said, shifting a little, "That's a pretty serious issue, Sam."

"But it's in the past." Sam tried to reason, "It's in the past and I don't want to bring it up again. Mom's already a little off because of the divorce. I've learnt to live without my eyes and I hold no grudges against anyone."

I sighed and placed my hand on Sam's, "Nobody in this world can be that forgiving." I tightened my hold on her hand, "I love you, Sam"

She grinned, "Damn straight you do. Everyone needs a Sam in their life."

* * *

The next day, I tried to play the easiest piece I could find and it turned out okay. My panic levels decreased a little.

We had decided that Betty and Veronica were enough for the revenge plan so I stayed back home, practising the piano.

"How's that wrist doing?"

I jumped visibly, as I immediately stopped playing, "Now I know how you feel when I sneak into your room, Arch."

He chuckled and let himself in through the window.

"Wrist's okay, I guess? I mean, I still can't play as I did before but I suppose in time, the injury will heal."

"You really didn't have to punch him, you know." He fell back on one of the beanbags in my room, "You got hurt because of us."

"I'd do it again, Arch." I smiled at him which he returned, "Just never before a performance, mind you. Which reminds me, how're your music lessons so far?"

"Great, they're great. I just observe, though."

"Do you write your sheet music?"

"…..no."

"Do you _know_ how to write sheet music?"

"I know which note is which." He looked embarrassed.

"Hey, I said I'll help you, didn't I?" I chuckled, "I'll help you whenever you have time. Just give me a heads up."

"Yeah, I'd appreciated that. Thanks, Lis."

* * *

"Betty!" I called out while walking towards her in the hallway, clutching a few sheets of paper in my hand.

"Hey, Max!" She smiled at me, "What's up?"

"Here," I handed her the sheets, "I asked around and this person wanted to get these published in the school newspaper anonymously."

The blonde's eyes skimmed over all of them, as I stood nervously. I watched as her eyebrows rose and my nervousness increased.

"You know what?" Betty looked at me, "These are _really_ good."

"Really?" I said, happily.

"Yes. I can have these published in the newspaper right away. Thank you, Max!" The blonde hugged me and I reciprocated the action.

* * *

My wrist got better by the weekend but my fear of performing without practise in front of a crowd didn't lessen much.

Actually, anyone would be scared of performing in front of an audience without practise.

Right?

I wore a below the knee, red dress with a sweetheart neckline and metallic black lace at the edges, and my usual converse.

Mom was dressed elegantly in a cocktail dress but didn't overdo it because the Blossoms would be there. Dad wore an open collar suit and sneakers. He looked like a mobster with a ponytail like that.

We drove down to the city hall where Mayor McCoy welcomed us.

"We all are very eager to see you play, Phyllis." The Mayor shook my hand and led me to the centre of the hall where a beautiful grand piano stood.

"What. A. Beauty!" I exclaimed, running my fingers over the black and white keys.

"You can start anytime you like," McCoy instructed, "Expect people to come over with requests."

I nodded and took a seat, wiggling my fingers.

Up, on the stage, I saw Josie and her band member setting up for their performance, which wasn't until later.

Dad patted my shoulder, "You'll be fantastic!"

"Thank you, Doctor." I smiled, nervously.

"Make me proud, honey. Everyone's watching." Mom tried to comb my hair with her fingers, trying to make them not look like a bedhead.

Dad and I frowned at this.

"Why don't we mingle in with the crowd, honey?" Dad led mom away from me, "She'll be fine."

I exhaled visibly and started playing Swan Lake.

After playing a few easy songs, I saw the request jar piling up. Picking up a piece of paper, I read ' _I Dreamed A Dream_ – _Les Miserables'_ which was written in a _very_ familiar handwriting. I knew dad was dropping requests to make things easier for me, but I didn't know that Jughead, of all people, would do the same.

I smiled to myself and continued playing until Alice Cooper got smacked across the face by Penelope Blossom.

* * *

"Did I just see Archie running away?" I asked Jughead as he made his way towards me.

"He helped write the songs that Josie and her band performed right now. Came here to see its execution." He walked past me, "We need to look for Doiley."

"Oh, he's here?" I asked following him, "Speaking of which, how did you make so many requests, anyway? I didn't see you anywhere near me."

He turned to me and started walking backwards, "That's for me to know and you to find out. If you can, that is." And turned back, descending the stairs leading to the foyer.

"How did you know which ones were easy to play," I caught up with him.

"Google." He simply said.

My ears grew hot.

 _He looked up the piano pieces which were easy to play for me. Because I injured my wrist._

"Hello, Dilton," Jughead said, walking up to the boy-scout, "We talked to one of your Scouts. We know you fired the gun."

Dilton was leaning against the wall, glaring at us.

"It makes you both a liar, and a public menace." I said, crossing my arms in front of me.

"So what if I did? I was doing the Adventure Scouts a favour." Doiley tried to justify himself, "Somebody has to teach them how to stand their ground. The way this town is going-"

"Save it for your statement." Jughead cut in, "Which you can make to Sheriff Keller, or to us. I suggest the latter. Blue and Gold office. Tomorrow."

* * *

Jughead and I were leaning against the table in the Press Room, while Betty stood behind it. In front of us, Dilton Doiley sat.

"If you publish a story saying I fired that gun, my life will be ruined." He said, "I'll be banished from the Adventure Scouts, and charged with a misdemeanour. So, what if I have a better story?" At this, the three of us shared a look, "If I tell you what I know, promise me the gunshot stays between us." Dilton begged.

"You have our word." Said Betty, walking and standing next to me "As journalists."

"I saw something at Sweetwater River. Something nobody else saw." He said, " Miss Grundy's car."

 _Shit._

"By the river's edge. She was there."

Jughead and I looked at each other.

 _Archie is so screwed._

* * *

Chuck Clayton and his goons were kicked off the football team because of the article that Betty had published. It was the talk of the school.

Apart from that, many were talking about my poems, which remained anonymous. Neither Betty nor Jughead knew that they were mine. And I wouldn't want them to know that it was I who wrote such sappy, romantic poems.

We were all sitting together at lunch outside, excluding Archie who had football practise when Sam spoke up, "Someone read the poem to me, please. I really can't digest the fact that I don't know what everyone's talking about. Let me hear what's so great about this person's poetry."

I quietly drank water as Kevin read out the poem dramatically.

" _When words run dry,  
he does not try  
nor do I.  
We are on par.  
He just is,  
I just am  
and we just are"_

"Okay, wow." Sam said, widening her pale green eyes.

"I know, right" Betty said, biting into her sandwich.

Veronica had a dreamy look on his face while Jughead had his resting bitch face on.

"Read me another one, Kev!" Sam said, excitedly.

"Okay." He said and cleared his throat.

" _There is a love I reminisce,  
Like a seed  
I've never sown.  
Or lips that I'm yet to kiss,  
and eyes  
not met my own.  
Hands that wrap around my wrists,  
and arms  
that feel like home.  
I wonder how it is I miss,  
these things  
I've never known."_

"Whoever it is," Ronnie sighed, "She must be dealing with unrequited love."

"How do you know it's a she?" I asked, straightening my back.

"In the first poem," Betty said after chewing her sandwich, "it says 'He just is'. So…"

"For all you know the poet could be gay." I defended, my ears growing hot.

"Maybe." Kevin said, "But I wonder who the poet was picturing when they wrote these amazing poems."

"You know who the poet is, don't you?" Jughead asked, pulling his beanie down a bit.

"Oh, look at the time." I checked my phone, "I need to leave for practise." I lied and stood up, "See you guys later." And almost ran away from them.

 _How could I tell them that I was subconsciously picturing a dark-haired boy, wearing a beanie, when I wrote them?_

* * *

 **Both the poems used in this story belong to Lang Leav who is an amazing writer. I'm just borrowing them for the sake of this fanfiction. All credit goes to her.  
Thank you all for following this story. Really, the response to my fic is simply mind-blowing. I never imagined that over a 100 people would follow it.  
Please leave a review if you have any questions/queries/complaints/praises or just review in general.  
*sigh* So many exams, so little time to update. Thank goodness I have 18 chapters already written,**


	12. Chapter 12

I left as soon as I performed in the recital and headed to Pop's diner after bidding goodbye to my parents, who hung around to watch the rest of the concert.

My wrist had healed well enough for me to perform ' _Rage Over A Lost Penny'_ and ' _Polonaise_ '. Yeah, I didn't play the ' _Hungarian Rhapsody_ '. I could feel Grundy staring daggers at my back as I played. Nevertheless, my little concert was a success. I fled the scene with Sam.

Betty and Veronica hadn't arrived yet so I sat next to Jughead while Sam sat next to Kevin.

"It's official," Sam leaned forward, her unfocused eyes sparkling, "I am the number one fan of ' _The Human Metronome'._ "

I chuckled as Kevin said, "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there, Max. I was looking forward to your concert."

Jughead just sat there, with a sour look on his face.

"Sorry, we're late!" Veronica announced as she and Betty glided in the diner, "What's up? _Max, are you wearing a dress?_ "

Sam and I scooted so that the two took their seats next to us. The blonde sat next to me while the dark-haired Latina sat next to Sam. They ordered their signature drinks and made small talk that Jughead refused to join.

I blushed slightly, "Y-yeah…Had a recital today. At the park. I usually wear dresses to recitals."

"She has an odd affliction towards metallic lace. That's what she's wearing, right?" Sam said, stirring her drink.

"Blue and ivory, yeah." Veronica looked impressed, "You look gorgeous. You should wear them more often."

"We tried telling her that so many times, Betty and I – OW – and Sam too." Kevin rubbed his shin which had been assaulted by Sam's walking cane, "Because her androgynous face makes her look like a rebellious boy by the way she dresses."

"Your name was in the score book," Ronnie remembered, "I wonder why there was a zero next to your name when it's obvious that you're a total bomb."

I chuckled nervously, "I may have kicked the person who wrote down the zero in the nuts. He was being inappropriate and I reacted. I think that's why he gave me that score. Not that it matters. What's got you so down, Juggie?" I asked, changing the subject and leaning back and looking at him.

"Twilight's closing." Kevin said.

I almost choked on my spit, " _What?_ "

"Yeah, everyone's talking about it." Sam said, "My parents are against it, but our opinion really doesn't matter."

Jughead got fired up and made a face which clearly meant that he was gonna rant about something, "The Drive-In closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale" He began, "No, forget Riverdale, in the coffin of the American dream. A-as the-the godfather of indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say-"

"Please, God, no more Quentin Tarantino references." Kevin groaned.

"What? I'm pissed." Juggie stated, "And not just about losing my job. The Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us."

"It does, Juggie." I said.

"Then, people should be trying to save it." He glanced at me.

"In this age of Netflix and VOD, do people really want to watch a movie in a car? I mean, who even goes there?" Veronica asked.

"People who want to buy crack." Sam chimed.

"And cinephiles" I said.

"Yes, Lis, and car enthusiasts." Jughead said, "Right, Bets?"

The blonde was staring off into space. Jughead's question brought her out of her daze, "Totally."

"Anyway, it's closing because the town owns it, but didn't invest in it." He continued his rant, "So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer, she couldn't refuse the anonymous buyer? What do they have to hide?"

"No one cares."

"I do!" Jughead snapped. I rubbed his back gently, trying to loosen the tension.

 _Has he always been this lean?_

"Also, you guys should all come to closing night." He thought for a while, "I'm thinking ' _American Graffiti_ '… or is that too obvious?"

"Too obvious." I said.

"I vote for anything starring Audrey Hepburn." Veronica piped in, "Or Cate Blanchett."

"Or the Talented Mr. Ripley." Kevin turned to Veronica excitedly.

"I really don't have a preference." Sam stirred her drink, which had somehow materialised on the table during the heated one-sided conversation with Juggie. "I can feel you all staring at me. Stop it."

"Betty, your choices?" Kevin asked.

Betty had slipped into a trance again.

"Everything okay, B?" Ronnie frowned at the blonde.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking." She shook her head, "Um, 'Maybe Rebel Without a Cause'?"

"Lis, what about you?" Jughead nudged me with his elbow.

"Hmm," I bit my lip, thinking, "I think… ' _Casablanca'_? Or maybe ' _Guns of Navarone'?"_

Jughead grinned at me to which I responded with a bright smile.

Suddenly, Mrs. Lodge appeared, bringing with her our order, "Here you go, kids."

"Foooood~" I moaned again, "Thank you, Mrs. Lodge."

She smiled and walked away. At another booth, Cheryl sat with her 'friends', trash-talking Mrs. Lodge.

Veronica got up and went straight to them, but her mom handled the situation _like a fucking boss_.

"Your mom's badass," I said, swatting away Jughead's hand as it reached for my fries. He made a face at me and I smiled, tilting my head towards the plate, making the 'Go ahead' gesture. He grinned back and reached for the fries.

The dark-haired Latina just smirked at me in response of my praise.

"Now, that's an odd combo of people." Kevin said, frowning.

We all turned to look at Archie, his dad and _Geraldine fucking Grundy_ walking into the diner.

"What? What?" Sam complained, "I can't see!"

"It's the Andrews with Grundy." Veronica told her.

"I'll be right back." Betty got up.

"No, Betty." I tried to grab her hand but she had already escaped.

Jughead called after her, "No, don't-"

"Wait, what's happening?" Kevin demanded.

"I'm as lost as you are, Kev." Sam sighed, sipping her vanilla milkshake.

Jughead was staring at Betty and Archie as I stole a bite from his burger. He noticed this and sent me a faux-angry look. I grinned widely at him.

He, then, raised his fingers and wiped away the mayonnaise I didn't know I had on my lower lip. The moment he did that, I kid you not, my heart started pounding. It was so loud that I failed to notice Kevin raising his eyebrows at us as Jughead used a napkin to clean the mayo from his forefinger.

Betty and Archie walked out of the diner and were soon engaged in a heated debate.

Veronica stared at them, excited and curious at the same time, "What's happening out there? Do we know? Is it about me?"

"I have a strong inkling," Jughead huffed, still sour about the drive-in, "and no. Also, I'd let it go." He advised Ronnie.

 _Too loud._

But, Ronnie being who she is, said, "Yes, but you're you, and I'm me. You do you, girl, I'll be back." And left to join the blonde and the redhead's conversation.

"What was it like before she got here?" Kevin asked, exasperatedly, "I honestly cannot remember."

"And me." Sam said.

 _My heart is pounding too lo-_

"Archie is screwing Grundy." I blurted out.

" _Max!_ " Jughead hissed, looking at me with disbelief. Kevin's jaw dropped as Sam almost choked on her milkshake.

"What?" I asked, defensively, "They're bound to know sooner or later." Turning to them, I said, "Just keep your mouths shut. Don't tell anyone."

* * *

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked Jughead and Archie who were huddled together in a corner of the hallway, whispering.

Both of them jumped, startled by my appearance.

"Do you think Betty will write about me and Grundy in the paper?" Archie asked in a low voice.

"Okay, are you an idiot? Why would she do something that would hurt you?" At this, Jughead made an 'I-told-you-so' at Archie.

"But maybe she has a point." Jughead stated, 'she' referring to Betty. "What do you see happening with Grundy, long-term? What do you want?"

Archie sighed, "I want to be with her. I don't know how, but I wanna hang on to what we have for as long as possible."

"Yup." Juggie said, sticking a flyer on the wall, "I feel that. Trying to hold on to something a lot older than me, too."

I touched his arm in a comforting way, sending him a smile. He copied my action.

"Just" The redhead stated, "If Betty's gonna do anything crazy, can you two please let me know so I can do something to stop it?"

"Sure." I said, "Don't worry about it."

Archie nodded gratefully and left.

"You're playing 'Casablanca' on the closing day?" I asked Juggie, surprised after reading the hand-out, "I thought it would be 'Rebel Without A Cause'."

"Well, it was a tough competition." He smirked, "And then I remembered how much you love 'As Time Goes By'.

I linked my arm with his as we walked to class, touched by his words.

* * *

That evening, I paced around my room.

 _Need to write new poems. But on what?_... _Friendzone?_

I sat down at my study table, picked up a pen and started scribbling.

' _I know I don't own y-'_ I paused, horrified at the fact that Jughead's face came to my mind. I all but slammed the pen on the table and hid my face in my hands, trying to erase his image.

 _No, no, no, no. Why is this happening? Why do I see him every time I write something? That's why I stopped writing in the first place._

I let out the loudest sigh and picked up my pen, ' _It can't be helped'_ and started scribbling.

'- _ou,  
and perhaps I never will….-'_

* * *

"Dad, mom, you guys going to the drive-in tomorrow?" I asked during dinner.

"I wooed your dad by making him watch that movie." Mom grinned, flipping her dark hair, "Of course we are going."

Dad snorted, "I remember _me_ wooing _you_ instead of the other way around. By dressing up like James Dean." He cut into the meatloaf.

"You looked silly, cosplaying like James Dean." Mom took a sip of her wine, "I took pity on you. Anyway," She turned to me, "You'll be going with Jughead, I presume."

I blushed a little, moving the food around in my plate with a fork, "Yeah. He works there. Don't want him to be alone."

"I think that's a good idea." Dad said, taking a bite of his food, "That kid needs friends to take care of him. I haven't seen PJ around. Wonder where he is. Hey, you up for a Star Wars marathon, kiddo?"

"Am I ever not?" I grinned.

"Oh, Jesus. Please." Mom closed her eyes and sighed, "You two will pig out on popcorn and soda the whole night, won't you?"

"Yes." Dad and I chimed.

* * *

 **It's an early update! Yessss!  
** **I love you all for all that positive response. Thank you so so much.  
** **Someone asked me why there's a zero next to Max's name in the score book. I hope this chapter answers your question. I'm quite excited to see your reactions for the next chapter.**

 **You know the drill!** **Please leave a review or follow/favorite. Thank you so much for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

I was in the Blue and Gold office when Betty stormed in, frowning heavily.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"There's something not right with Grundy." She told me, "I went to her, saying that I wanted to interview her for an article for the paper and she mentioned that she taught Jason last year."

"Betty, even I could've told you that." I crossed my arms, leaning against the main desk.

"Yeah, but-but something doesn't add up." The blonde spoke, jerking her hands, "We need to investigate"

" _What_ " I began, " _is with you and investigations?_ " I turned and picked up a small stack of sheets, all of which were my poems that I had written the night before.

"We need to know what is really happening, Max." Betty, too, shuffled through my poems. Only, she didn't know that I wrote them, "This one's good. Why does this person, whoever he or she is, write only about love?"

I scratched the back of my ear, "I don't think so. Anyway, what are you gonna do about Grundy?"

"I'll…find dirt on her." The blonde pulled her sleeves to hide her palms, "We can search on social network sites."

"I'm sorry, _we_?" I slumped into a chair.

Betty just looked at me.

"Yeah, okay, I'll check her Facebook and Twitter. Why don't you just google her."

* * *

" Grundy showed up in Riverdale a year ago, out of thin air." I said, sitting beside Archie at Pop's. Across us sat Betty and Veronica with a manila file on the table. "There's no record of her before that. Her Facebook, her Linkedln account, they were all created one year ago."

"Before that, she's a ghost." Betty piped up, pushing the folder towards the redhead, "She doesn't exist. The only Geraldine Grundy I could find was a woman who died seven years ago."

"H-how-where did you find all this?" Archie frowned at us.

"The deep web. The dark internet." Ronnie whispered, dramatically, "Check it, it's all online. Simple googling."

"And did you cyber-stalk before or after you interviewed her for a fake article?" Archie's frown deepened. Betty opened her mouth to speak but not a sound escaped her. "Why are you doing this, Betty? I'm not in any danger."

"You don't know that." Betty shook her head.

"Yeah, I do, I'm with her." Archie stated.

Betty's face fell at this.

"I know what we have, and you don't."

If possible, she looked even more heartbroken.

"She taught Jason Blossom last year, along with me." I said, "Did you know that?"

"She's taught a lot of people, Max." Archie glanced at me, "What's your point?"

" _Our_ point is you don't know anything about her, Archie." The blonde said as Veronica frowned at the redhead's rudeness. "Doesn't that worry you?"

"Betty, let this go." Archie said, exasperated, ignoring Betty's "- Archie, please-", "If you're really my friend, you'll let this go."

"Okay. I'm sorry." The blonde said, sadly, "I'm done." When Archie raised his eyebrow, Betty clarified, "I'll stop digging."

"Just think over what we said, Arch." I spared him a look and got up, "You should probably ask her yourself."

* * *

It was late at night when Betty and Veronica called me downstairs to see them. They stood at the Andrews' lawn as I approached them. At a distance, I could see Archie walking towards us.

"Please tell me you didn't do anything illegal." I said, shoving my hands into the pockets of my hoodie.

"Well…" Veronica tilted her head as Archie was in hearing distance from us.

"Please don't tell me you're still on this crazy witch hunt." Archie said in an 'I'm-so-tired-of-this' voice.

"It's not a witch hunt, and it's not crazy." Betty said.

The blonde and the dark haired girl exchanged looks and nodded.

"We were just in Grundy's car"

"What?" The redhead and I echoed.

"You were in her car?" Archie asked to which Ronnie replied, " Yeah, and thank God we were. We found a gun."

"A gun?" I gave them an incredulous look.

"And an ID with the name Jennifer Gibson." Betty said, "This is proof Ms. Grundy is not who she says she is." She continued, trying to convince Archie.

"Then who is she?" _Wow, Arch, like we would know._

"Obviously some sketch-queen named Jennifer Gibson." Ronnie commented.

"What if she had something to do with Jason's murder?" I asked, "She taught him last year."

"And she made you lie about him, we know she was at the river, she has a gun." Betty was trying to hard to make Archie see sense.

"So does Dilton Doiley, but you never thought he killed Jason." Archie reasoned.

"Open your eyes, Archie." Veronica was tired of his naivety. "Jason was her student last year. Everything about her is a huge, boldfaced question mark."

"Okay, whatever her name is, she's not a killer."

"You didn't ask her, did you?" I said, "Even after I told you to."

"You didn't even ask her about her name?" Betty said, slightly pissed, "And why there's no record of her before last year?"

Archie opened his mouth to retort but he turned, sending us one final glare before entering his house.

"You got the gears in his mind to work, Bets." I said, "He will ask her about this."

"How are you so sure, Max?" Betty sniffed.

"I just am."

* * *

An hour later, I found myself lying on my bed, texting Jughead.

" **Did u know Betty was snooping around Grundy's car? – M**

It took a little while before he responded.

" **Not really. Why, what did they find? – J"**

" **Is it possible for you to come over? – M"**

" **Be there in 5 – J"**

Sure enough, Jughead had climbed into my room within the next five minutes.

"What's up?" He said, flinging himself next to me on the bed.

I lifted myself a bit, turning to him and supporting myself with my forearms, "Betty found a gun and an ID in Grundy's car."

"What?" He sat up straight.

"Yeah, her name is Jennifer Gibson. The actual Grundy, according to Veronica, died seven years ago."

"She thinks that Grundy, or Gibson, whatever, is related to Jason's murder, doesn't she?" He lay down again, but this time his head was resting on my stomach.

"Yep." I ran my fingers through his hair subconsciously until I realized what I was doing. I withdrew my hand, blushing ridiculously. If he noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Why do I feel that things are gonna go even more wrong?" I said to myself.

"Being the pessimist is my job, not yours Lis." Jughead said in a sleepy voice.

I poked and prodded his shoulder, "Hey, you're not sleeping on my bed. If dad finds out you're in my room after hours, he will ground me."

"Just five minutes, Max." He grabbed my fingers, burying his face into my shoulder.

 _Perfectly normal. This is what best friends do. Jughead is just different. Oh my god, why is my heart beating so fast?_

* * *

I left home, telling my parents that I'd be walking to the drive-in instead of coming with them in the car. Because it was chilly outside, I put on my dark blue pullover which had holes near the ends of the sleeves. I hooked my thumbs into them and made my way to Twilight. As I neared the drive-in, I looked at the large billboard which said:

"CLOSING NIGHT

THE LAST DRIVE IN

CASABLANCA

HUMPHREY BOGGART INGRID BERGMAN"

There were so many people there, because of the closing night. If only the crowd had been this large before, then the drive-in wouldn't have to close.

I walked into the projector booth and saw Jughead fidgeting with the reels of the projector.

"Hey!" I said, making my way towards him.

He lifted his gaze to meet mine and blinked rapidly, "What are you doing here?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm gonna watch the movie with you." I interlocked my fingers behind my back and stood on my toes, looking around.

There was a bed here.

Why is there a bed here?

"Don't you want to sit with Kevin and Veronica in the truck?" He tried to clean up the messy room by picking up bits and pieces of junk metal off the table.

"And leave you here all by your lonesome self? I think not!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the main projector, "So, what time does it start?"

"In about 5 minutes," He looked at me, as I let go of him "You sure you wanna stay?"

"You're stuck with me, sweetheart. Besides, I've seen this movie so many times with my parents…and you and Archie that I don't mind sitting in here with you." I smiled at him, widely and sat down near the projector.

Cars and trucks were lined up with people wrapped around in blankets sitting in them or on them, eating popcorn and talking. A few clicks were heard here and there, and soon enough, the movie was projected on the big, white wall opposite to us.

Jughead sat down next to me, "Last chance?"

I looped my arm with his and lay my head on his shoulder, "Here's looking at you, kid!"

He chuckled lightly, leaning into me.

Maybe I had imagined it, I don't know. But there was sadness in his laughter.

* * *

At some point of the movie, I must've fallen asleep while still clutching onto Jughead. He gently nudged me awake, "Max, wake up. The movie's over."

Still half asleep, I mumbled, "Five minutes, Juggie."

"You can't stay here. Come on. Up you get."

I groaned in protest as he lifted me to my feet, "Why is there a bed here?"

"Sometimes, the movie ends pretty late. I sleep here." He patted my cheek repeatedly, knowing that it would wake me up.

"Stop. Sto-" I turned my face to avoid the patting, "Up! I'm awake. Just stop."

He smiled, "Come on, I'll walk you home."

And so we walked.

It was pretty dark and the walk from the drive-in to my house would've terrified me if I didn't have Jughead with me. I did stumble a couple of times, considering that I was almost dead on my feet. Thank god Beanie Boy caught me every time.

We walked all the way to the stairs of my house and sat on the lowest one for a while.

"Jelly should've been there." I said, rubbing my eyes.

"Maybe." He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, "Thanks, Lis."

"For what?"

"For, you know, watching the movie with me."

I looked at him as if he was the dumbest person on this planet, "I fell asleep, Juggie."

"And snored so loud-"

"What sno-"

"There's a little bit of drool on my jacket."

"I do not droo-"

"Mumbling in your sleep t-"I elbowed him on his side, both of us laughing.

The lights in Betty and Archie's rooms were off, signalling that they were asleep. Or not in their rooms, probably.

"You hungry?" I asked, as our laughter subsided.

He pretended to think for a while, "Hmm. What was for dinner?"

"Pasta? I don't know...come on. It was mom's turn to cook today." I got up and held out a hand towards him.

He stared at my palm for a moment, grasped it and pulled himself up. "I'll have to take a raincheck. Need to close up the drive-in."

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed.

"Next time then." I said. Not knowing what came over me, I stood on my toes and kissed him on his cheek, "Thanks for walking me home. And for playing 'Casablanca' "

He looked taken aback for moment and then said, "Well, that wasn't so bad. I should walk you home more often."

 _What._

"Goodnight, Jones."

"Goodnight...Phyllis."

"Shut the f-"

* * *

"Grundy is leaving?" I asked Archie, bewildered.

I stayed up late, after Juggie left. Seeing as the light in Archie's room was still on, I figured he must be awake. So I decided to have a mid-night chat with him.

"It was Betty's mom." He replied, sitting on his window sill, stretching his legs, "She found the gun in Betty's-"

"Hold on. The gun?" I leaned forward, "The one that they found in Grundy's car. Betty kept it?" I was shocked that the blonde would do something so irresponsible.

"Mrs. Cooper found it. Along with her diary." Archie ran his fingers through his hair.

"That's how you guys got caught?" I swung my legs, "Damn. I'm sorry it had to end like that, Arch. What did your dad say?"

"Nothing." He looked at me, "He held me as I cried."

"You cried?" I snorted, "You haven't cried since that day in third grade when you scrapped your knee and I had carried you home on my back."

"Yeah…" He drifted off, now staring at the sky, "We shouldn't have grown up."

"I don't think we have a say in that, Arch."

"Maybe a little, Lis. Maybe a little."

* * *

 **Hi, everyone! Thank you so much as always for the lovely reviews. You have no idea how much they mean to me. They help me keep this story going. I've been in a pretty dark place for the past few months and your love really helps me heal.**

 **To the person who asked for a chapter from Jughead's POV, I make no promises but I shall try my best in writing one.**

 **Thank you for reading! Please do leave a review!**


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, a Sunday, was a disaster.

Mom woke me up in the worst possible manner.

"GET UP!" She ripped the covers off me, exposing me to the cold, "PHYLLIS MAXINE PIERCE! WAKE UP AND START RUNNING!"

"I-Wha-Whaz goin on?" I mumbled, blinking at the sudden light that hit my eyes, "Mom, it's too early. I'm…going…to…" And dozed off again, curling up in my bed while trying to warm myself.

"Oh no, you don't." She started poking me continuously in the stomach while saying 'Wake up, wake up, wake up.'

I soon hit a breaking point and screamed, "OKAY, FINE, I'M UP." And sat up straight, glaring at the woman.

"Good." She crossed her arms, "Go, wake your father. You two are going for a jog."

 _Did I hear her right?_

 _A jog?_

 _Like, running but slowly?_

 _Is she off her rocker?_

"Have you finally lost it?" I rubbed my eyes and got off the bed, "Is this one of your jokes?"

"Do you think I'll joke about you and your father running after you _pigged out on popcorn and sweets_?" She said in a threatening voice which scared the crap out of me. She still had her arms crossed in front of her, her left foot tapping slowly, rhythmically, waiting for me to exit the room. Mom was already dressed in sweat pants and one of dad's hoodies.

I groaned and threw on my hoodie which said ' _Just don't do it'_ with a Snorlax on it, and dragged my feet to my parents' bedroom where my dad snored lightly. His arm dangled off the bed as he smiled in his sleep, mumbling, "Go..Groudon…Burn Cersei Lannister…yess…no blood…no bone…no ash."

I stared at him, morbidly. Even after sixteen years of living with him, I still wasn't used to his sleep talks.

I tried to nudge him awake, "Dad, wake up. Mom's gone nuts." But to no avail. He slept soundly, giggling in between, declaring victory over Cersei's death.

Mom stormed in, "I gave you one job, Phyllis. And you couldn't even do that." She said sternly and stood right next to dad and this, yelled as loudly as she could, "EDMUND, THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!"

Dad threw his eyes wide open and sat up, screaming,"My limited edition Pokemon cards!" and stumbled off the bed, running towards the door until he tripped and fell flat on his face.

Mom and I looked at him as he slowly gathered himself, rubbing his back. Mom's glare deepened as dad then lay flat on the floor, mumbling that it was too early to be out of bed.

 _Can't blame him. It_ is _too early. It's six in the morning._

"The house isn't on fire, Viv." Dad grumbled, opening one eye and looking at us, "Why is Maxi up?"

"Dad, mom's lost it. She's gone cra-" I began to ramble before mom cut me off.

"You better get up if you value your _limited edition Pokemon cards._ " She said viciously. What a poisonous woman. I would never use that card to threaten dad. _Hehe, cards. Did you see what I did there?_

Dad immediately shot up and supported himself against the door, "What-what it is. What's wrong. Max, what did you do?"

"Me? What did you do?" I protested.

"It's what you both did." Mom intervened, "Brush your teeth, change and start running, the two of you." And with that she marched downstairs, probably waiting in the living room.

Dad and I looked at each other.

"We should do as she says."

"You got it, dad."

* * *

" _I cannot believe she's pelting us with stones."_ I managed to huff as mom made us run around town, following us in the car.

Every time we stopped or almost stopped, she would fling pebbles at us, which hit either our butts or backs. Still hurt like a bitch, though.

"Honey," Dad yelled/begged, "I can't….run…anymore."

"I BLOODY HATE RUNNING" I screamed as mom chucked another stone at my butt while yelling 'KEEP RUNNING, YOU LITTLE TWITS!'

* * *

Dad and I collapsed on our front porch as mom parked the car. Fred Andrews was looking at us, supporting himself against the railing of his house. As my father and I tried to catch our breath, Fred said, "Long morning?"

"Shut it, Andrews." Dad managed to yell back, "You're lucky Vivian isn't your wife."

"You said something, honey?" Mom appeared, smiling calmly, "Good morning, Fred."

Fred raised the coffee cup he was drinking from at us, "Family outing?"

I laughed sarcastically.

"My husband and daughter lay around eating and drinking and binge watching TV shows that they never care for their health." Mom informed Fred seriously, "I had to take a step."

"I can see that." Fred snickered.

"Breakfast?" Mom offered, "There's pancakes."

Dad and I whooped.

"Yes! Finally. Something go-"

"Not for you two."

"Ay what?"

* * *

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling while thinking what sins I had committed to not be able to eat pancakes. Then I remembered. Popcorn and chocolate.

 _Ugh. Shouldn't have eaten all that. Shouldn't have eaten all that every weekend with dad._

"Heard you ran around the town." Archie walked into my room, through the door. He had maple syrup on the corner of his mouth.

I lifted my head to look at him, "You finally used the door, huh. Anyway, yes. Mom made us run. It was torture." I gestured at his mouth. He wiped the syrup away with the back of his hand and sat down at the foot of my bed.

"I never really thanked you and Betty and Ronnie." He said, glancing at me, "For helping me with Grundy…Gibson…whatever her name was."

"You'll get over her, Archie." I sat up and crossed my legs, "If not sooner, then later."

Archie didn't say anything but looked at me, smiling. I returned the smile and patted his back. That was when Jughead entered the room. He looked at us, his vision zeroing down on my hand on Archie's back and the redhead looking at me. If he wanted to say something, he refrained from it.

My face automatically went red at his walking in, "Juggie! Hi! I didn't know you-"

Archie snapped out of whatever daze he was in and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Jug crashed during breakfast after Vivian sent you away with the fruits."

"Yep." Jughead collapsed next to me, "I am stuffed with pancakes. Oh, and I might've finished the Nutella jar."

I nudged his knee with my foot, "Well, as long as it was you who finished it and not Arch. I'm thinking of moving to one of the broom closets in school."

"Why?" Archie asked as the two of us lay back. My bed could barely fit three teenagers lying on their backs.

"If mom makes me run every morning like the way she promised me and dad she would," I unconsciously moved my head towards Jughead, "I'd rather live in the closets. It's too easy to live there and no one would notice."

"What do you mean, no one would notice?" Jughead said, sounding interested.

"Well," I stared at the ceiling, "Nobody checks the closets in the West Wing. Usually the main hall's closets are used."

"Oh."

"Aaah, I'm so tiiiiired." I whined, curling up into Archie's side, "My legs huuuurt."

Both the boys chuckled. I patted Jughead's stomach, "How come you eat so much and stay so skinny?"

He laid his hand on mine, "I don't eat so much."

"Tell him he eats a lot, Arch." I complained.

"You eat a lot, Jug." Archie pushed me into Jughead.

My ears began to burn out of embarrassment, "Oy, watch it." Jughead pushed me back until I was being rallied in between the boys, the three of us laughing voraciously. "Guys, stop, someone will-"

Archie fell with a thud.

"-fall. Arch, you okay?"

Muffled laughter was heard and then, "Ow."

"This was so stupid. You two are idiots." I said getting up, pulling onto the sleeves of my hoodie.

"But we're your idiots." Archie voiced.

"Yeah, no." Jughead said.

We laughed some more.

* * *

 **This was just a filler chapter that I wrote. To show a little more of the Pierce family.**

 ** _Cheshire The Iconic Me :_ Max got her name because her middle name is Maxine!**

 **Please leave a review!**


	15. Chapter 15

School went on as usual without Miss Grundy. Archie alternated between playing football and studying music. I still helped him write down the songs he composed on sheet.

My piano practises were more rigorous. Apparently my mother had signed me up for a prestigious competition in New York. She expected me to keep up with the score like I always did. So I practised. If I wasn't at home, I was at school, practising in between lunch. Even in classes, I drummed my fingers according to the notes.

I was yet to decide on a piece.

I was torn between ' _Pathétique_ ' and ' _Turkish March'_ one night, so I decided to play them both for a while until I made up my mind.

"Heard from the grapevine that you're entering a competition again." The voice scared the heck out of me. The voice which turned out belonged to Jughead then continued, "What are you going to play?"

"First Archie, now you?" I chuckled, "You have to stop climbing into my room."

"Archie breaks into your room?" Jughead pulled at his beanie, standing near the window from which he climbed in.

"Oh, he's been doing that since forever." I brushed it off, "I break into his room, he breaks into mine. What brings you to my humble abode, my best friend?" I motioned him to sit.

He slumped on my bed as always, "I was just passing by. Thought I'd visit. Again, what are you going to play?"

"Hmm…" I collected my sheet music from the rack, "Beethoven…or Mozart. It's tough to decide."

"Play something for me." He said, looking at me straight in the eye.

"Well, what does His Highness want me to play?" I chuckled, "It's been a long time since you've asked me to play something for you."

"Play ' _As Time Goes By_ '." He pulled up a bean bag next to my bench and sat himself on it.

"Okay." I nodded and wiggled my fingers before playing.

I poured my heart into the song. It was my favourite. The music made me remember all the memories I thought I had forgotten. My fingers flew from key to key. Note after note I played, until I finished the song. I inhaled soundly, content with my playing.

I turned to Jughead to find him already looking at me.

 _I blushed._

"You enjoyed yourself, I see." He grinned.

"All thanks to you." I said, interlocking my fingers and stretching them, "Any other requests, Forsythe?"

"Surprise me."

So I played this song that I had learnt off of YouTube called Last Leaf Falls.

Forget heart, I poured my mind and soul in this song. Though it was a little slow, it was beautiful. It was…it was like the cold breeze running through my hair, like autumn leaves falling, it was warm like….

 _Jughead. It reminds me of you._

I didn't even realise the song had ended and that I was crying. I quickly wiped away my tears and laughed, "Wow, that's a first."

"Certainly was." Jughead _smiled._

And I felt my heart drop.

 _Oh no._

* * *

"Are you planning on killing the poor punching bag?" I said, sitting on the window sill of Archie's room.

Archie jerked back in surprise, "Jesus, Lis. Don't do that."

He was shirtless and was punching the crap out of the punching bag.

"What? Sneak into your room? I've been doing that since we were eight. I know you sneak into my room too, perv. I know where you hide your porn."

"I don't own any-"

"Of course you don't, sweetheart." I said, crossing my legs, "So what's gotten you all hot and bothered?"

"Coach Clayton says I have chance at bring captain - Don't fall - so I'm just practising."

He turned his back to me and looked for a shirt to put on.

"Archie, you stay up till 12 slamming your fists onto this thing. You're clearly stressed" I watched him as he wore a sweatshirt, "If its music that you want to study, then pursue it."

"It's not that easy, Max." He looked at me, sitting down on his bed.

"It sort of is, Arch. The answer's right in front of you."

"And what about you, Lis?" He demanded, frowning at me.

"What about me?" I asked, confused.

"I know it's you who writes the poems in the newspaper. Don't you want to pursue writing?"

I sighed, "Archie, I had my future decided the moment I touched the piano when I was three. Writing poetry is just to pass time."

Archie signed in defeat, "Alright. I'll think about it."

"The sooner the better, Arch. I can't see you like this," I touched his shoulder.

"All that aside, who do you write about in your poetry. They're very...cheesy." He raised his brow at me.

"Uhh...well..." I shuffled my feet, "the words just come to me."

"Do you write for Jughe-"

"Archibald Andrews!" I gasped, "As if." My face grew hot with embarrassment. I think my ears were on fire.

"There's my answer." He grinned, "Do you love him?"

"I-I…I don't…know actually. I just know that he's everywhere." I played with my fingers, "I see his face when I write poems. I see him when I play the piano. Even during dinner, I find myself thinking ' _Would Juggie eat this?'_ When I read a book, I think ' _Jughead won't read this. This is so not him_ '. The thought of him is almost taking over my mind. I can't bear to see him spend all his time with-with Betty in that-that room- the press room. I'm jealous _of Betty,_ Archie. I know it's all very sudden and abrupt and-and silly b-but what do I do?" I ended my rant with my fingers almost tearing at the roots of my hair.

He laughed nervously, wiping the sweat off if his forehead, "I'm the last person you should ask about this."

"Just tell me."

"Wait it out, I guess." He shrugged, "Unless you're absolutely sure. Or unless you feel it's absolutely necessary for him to know."

I let out a little scream out of frustration. Archie didn't even flinch.

"I'm used to it," He teased.

I gulped visibly, hugging the redhead, "This is so weird, Arch. I don't want us to-to end up li-"

"Like Betty and me?" He looked at me and smiled gently, "Jughead is smarter than I am, I'll give him that. You are his precious person. He won't do anything to hurt you."

When I hid my face in his sweatshirt and didn't respond, Archie said, "Everything will be fine, Lis. You'll see."

* * *

I decided to call up Jughead to see if he was up for a walk or something. He picked up after the fifth ring or so.

"Hey, Jug?" I pulled onto my bangs.

"Max, hey." Jughead sounded a little busy.

"I-um…I wanted to-uh ask. Are-are you busy right now?" I bit my lip.

"Oh, uh, I'm with Betty right now. We were discussing uh…a few things. Just a bit busy." He said, "Something you need?"

"Oh, yeah, no." I spoke hurriedly, "Just called you to check up. Um, no, not check up. Just…randomly…called. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Yeah…" He said a little distracted and hung up the phone.

I tossed mine on the bed and slapped my forehead repeatedly, saying "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

 _Oh my god, what was wrong with me. I just called Jughead. It isn't a big deal. Oh my god, I stammered so much. He's with Betty. Why is he with her? No wait, it shouldn't matter. It's totally f-_

"Honey?" Mom poked her head into the room and I visibly jumped.

"Yes, mom?" I stopped the unconscious pacing I had been doing.

Mom entered the room with some sheet music while fidgeting with the hem of her white top. She held up the sheets as she said, "I…thought you would reconsider the piece that you'll be playing."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Beethoven. O-or Rachmaninoff" She handed me the sheets and I went over them.

"Waldstein? Italian Polka?" I shuffled through the sheets, "You want me to play any one of them."

"Well, I would prefer if you played Waldstein. First movement. But the choice is _completely_ up to you. I'll leave these with you. Practise hard, before you go to bed, darling." And with that, she left me.

My palms began to sweat as I moved my fingers according to the notes on the sheet.

 _I don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight._

* * *

 **Hey guys! Thanks for reading. I'm swamped with all the work I have. My life is a clusterfuck of disasters at the moment. It's a very difficult time for me so updates might not be frequent. I apologize for that! I promise I'll make up for it. Some day.**

 **I'd really love it if you leave a review. I'm dying to hear your thoughts on the story. Even if it's one word, please leave a message. If you have any ideas/queries/complains, just anything, leave it in the review and I'll respond as soon as I can.**

 **Thank you once again!**


	16. Chapter 16

I was in the Blue and Gold press office the next day with Kevin, Betty and Jughead. Kevin's house had been broken into, the night we were all at the drive-in. So we decided to recreate it in the press office.

"This is how my dad had his Jason Blossom murder board before it was trashed." Kevin stated as we examined the board, all the red lines running over the potential suspects, meeting at Jason's photograph.

"Any leads on who did that?" Jughead said, leaning against a table, thinking hard and biting onto his thumbnail.

"Or what they were looking for?" I added, trying my best to not look at Jughead.

"Nope." Kevin glanced at us, "No fingerprints." He turned his back to the board, facing us, "But they stole a bunch of files, background checks, and all the video and audiotapes of police interviews."

Suddenly, the door opened and revealed Trev, Valerie Brown's brother, who had helped us with the score board a week ago.

"Hey, Betty" He smiled at the blonde who smiled back.

"Trev, hi!"

The rest of us stared at them, wondering why Betty had turned into an extra bright ray of sunshine

"Sorry to interrupt" Trev apologized.

"Oh, no! Uh, it's okay." Betty tried to come up with an answer, "We're just, uh, working on-"

"Our murder board." Jughead and I said in unison. I could feel him looking at me but I was determined not to make eye contact. Instead, I shuffled through the little stack of poems I had written, separating those which could be printed.

"Well," Poor Trev looked a little uncomfortable and probably a bit creeped out, "I just wanted to make sure we're still on for tomorrow?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as did Kevin.

"Absolutely, it's a date." Betty said and I almost chocked on my spit. Jughead looked at the blonde as if to say ' _Excuse me, what?' "_ I mean, I'll- I'll see you there."

"Bye." Trev smiled, probably at Betty's cute and awkward antics.

"So, I'll see you."

"Bye." Trev turned to leave.

"So, Bye." The blonde repeated, still a little awkwardly. We stared after the boy as he left until Kevin said "Going on a date with _Trev_? Does Mama Cooper know about that?"

"Kev, I'm not on house arrest."

I snorted at this and Kevin stared hard at Betty until she caved in.

"Okay, she's out of town at a 'Women in Journalism' spa retreat." She sighed and moved around the room, "Anyway, it's not ' _date_ ' date." She stood by another table, behind us. Our heads turned towards her as she walked.

"You just called it a date." Jughead said, "You literally said, ' _It's a date_.'"

"Why do you sound irritated?" I shot at him, my heart stung a little. He turned to me to say something but I looked away, towards Betty who said, "That's just my cover. Really, it's an intelligence gathering mission.

"We should focus on the one thing we have access to that your dad doesn't. The kids at Riverdale High." Kevin and I knew she was trying to make up an excuse, "You know, maybe Trev knows something about Jason he didn't think was important."

I caught Jughead frowning.

My heart hurt a little more.

* * *

"Betty, you're positively radiating Nicholas Sparks." Ronnie said as we walked on the bleachers, towards Sam and Archie who were conversing in low voices, "Tell me everything about this Trev."

"Oh, there's nothing to tell." Kevin teased, walking last. I looked over my shoulder to send a grin as Ronnie nudged me. I almost dropped my fries due to her strength.

My eyes accidently met Jughead's and my grin dropped and I faced forward.

"Just one of Betty's sources, there's nothing romantic in the offing."

"Why is everything weird here?" Veronica said as we sat down on the bleachers, Betty beside Sam and Archie, Ronnie and I behind them and behind us Kevin and Jughead. "Why can't a date just be a date? What about you, Archie? How's life in a PG world?

We all looked at her confused as she chowed down some fries, "PG? Post-Grundy? What, too soon?"

"Not for me, girl." I said, hi-fiving her.

"Nice one, Lodge." Sam snorted. Ronnie ruffled the brunette's hair.

Archie shot me a sarcastic look before saying, "Coach Clayton says I have a shot at being varsity captain. So I'm not thinking about anything else right now."

"And you're back to being boring." Veronica said, shoving more fries into her mouth.

I leaned back lightly, against Jughead's knee. It took me a moment to realise what I was doing, I sat up straight. Veronica shot me a confused look, throwing the beanie-wearing boy a glance.

"Are you, maybe, throwing yourself into football as a way to avoid your feelings." Betty asked, concerned

"I'm not avoiding anything, Betty", Archie looked at her.

"Oho, liar, liar, pants on fire." I sang and then said normally, "Lil ginger here stays up practically the whole night, fighting his punching bag and mumbling to himself. Does a number on my tempo. I have a title to live up to, Arch. And a competition to win." A hand reached over my shoulder and raided my fries, "Juggie!"

My heart started to hammer again. I heard a chuckle in response from him.

"Shut up, Max." The ginger pinched my knee, "I'm trying to get my life back on track."

"I can help with that." Out of the blue, Valerie Brown appeared and slid next to Archie, "I know Miss Grundy was tutoring you."

"Understatement of the year." Ronnie and Sam snickered. Betty and I stared smugly at them.

Valerie ignored us and continued, "but there's this amazing songwriter from New York, who's an adjunct at Carson College. Incredible mentor. He does some coaching on the side and I told him about you." She plucked out a card from her pocket, holding it forward towards Archie, "You wanna meet him?"

"Yeah, yeah I'd love to, but football-"

"No, Archie can." I spoke up, lifting my left hand to offer Jughead the remaining fries, trying to control my breathing. He snatched up the whole thing.

"And he will." Betty said.

"Call him if you want," Valerie shoved the piece of paper into Archie's breast-pocket, "but do it soon. His spots fill up fast."

"Thank you, Val." Archie said, gratefully as the girl left.

"Hey, now you have zero excuse for avoiding music." Betty touched Archie's forearm.

"Sorry to interrupt Sad Breakfast Club," Cheryl Blossom walked up to us. _Didn't the Breakfast Club have like five people?_ "but I'm here to formally invite you to Jason's memorial at Thornhill this weekend." She handed all of us invitations before snipping at Veronica, "To my surprise and chagrin, mother added _you_ to the guest-list. In case you're tempted to steal our silver candlesticks, don't. We'll be searching bags." She finished insulting Veronica and walked off.

"I could beat the shit out of her for you, Ronnie," Sam leaned back against my leg, "Just say the word."

"Hey," Betty turned to look at the dark haired Latina, "try to remember, she _is_ burying her brother."

"That's exactly what is stopping me from running after her with my cane." Sam crossed her arms and pouted.

"Aw, Sam." Veronica and I hugged her from the back.

"Guys…..stop….can't…breathe!"

"Why were you here, at the bleachers, anyway?" I asked, as Ronnie and I let her go.

"Just…felt like i-" She tried to reply but Archie cut her off.

"Reggie, she was here for him." He teased, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "She was listening to how he was playing."

"Shut up, Andrews." Sam hid her face in her hands, bending.

"Oh, I bet he was excited to see her." Kevin said, loudly and sarcastically.

All of us turned to look at Kevin as Archie said, "Actually, he was."

Sam turned red, "No, he just wants to win against Archie and become captain. I have nothing to do with this. I can't even see the game."'

"Doesn't mean you can't cheer for him." I said, "Looks like love is in the air again. Just this time, it's legal."

"You can do better." Archie retorted to my indirect jab, nonchalantly.

"Is that what Grundy always said to you?" Sam snickered.

" _Oh for fuck's sake!_ "

* * *

As we dispersed at the main hall, I caught up with Jughead.

"Hey, you free now?" I asked, fidgeting with the straps on my bag. My heart was thumping so loud that I had to strain my ears to hear Jughead's response.

"Not really. I need to go over the…murder board with Betty. Besides, she's all tensed up because of Polly. I need to be there for her."

My heart dropped and I pretended that the comment didn't sting.

 _It's not like only_ you _have to support her._

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh." I started out of my thoughts, "Just…um…I wanted to know if you just wanted to hang out. At Pop's."

"Right. Sorry." He didn't look that sorry, though.

"No problem. Betty. I totally get it." I said, animatedly, moving my hands a lot, "Tell her I'm right here, if she needs any help."

"She'd appreciate that. See you later?"

"Definitely."

 _Hopefully._

* * *

 **Ay, I love to write jealous/sad/angsty Max. Makes me feel satisfied.**

 **Spoiler **

**She's going to be more sad. Extra emphasis on sad. ^-^**

 **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review 3**


	17. Chapter 17

"You're going to meet a renowned music artist _dressed like that_?" I screeched from my side of the window as Archie packed his guitar in his room.

He was wearing a normal t-shirt and worn out jeans.

 _A walking disaster_.

"I look okay, Max." He looked at me.

I sat on the window sill, "You're not supposed to ' _look okay_ ' when you meet a mentor. You should dress properly."

"I'm a little late already. I can't change now." He sighed.

"Well, no worries." I said, "At least tell me that you're taking your sheet music with you, just in case." I crossed my arms.

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, Phil. I have everything. I'll see you in the evening?" Archie nodded at me.

"Best of luck!" I called as he exited his room.

* * *

"You" Archie climbed into my room, later that evening, as I was practising, "are my saviour."

"If it's about the sheet music, then you are very welcome. Now, shush." I continued to play ' _Waldstein_ '

Archie sat down, his back resting against the side of my bench and closed his eyes.

After I finished, I turned to him. He was now on his knees such that his forehead came up to my nose. "Now," I said, "Tell me what happened."

"We talked, Oscar and I. He asked how many hours I spend on music and that I'd have to sacrifice football. He also wanted to see my songs. Thank god, you made me keep my sheet music."

"Well," I leaned forward, "You're welcome, gingerkins."

"He's gonna take a look at my songs and will tell me his judgement tomorrow."

"Arch, that's great news!"

I might've leaned in too much, I don't know. The two of us reached towards each other to hug when our mouths touched. It was a complete accident. But we still kissed. It took a few seconds for me to realize that before I pushed Archie back.

He wore an expression of confusion and shock as I looked down at him, mirroring his expression.

There was moment of silence before Archie said, "Nope."

I nodded, "Not at all. No way."

"I don't..um..you-"

"Yes, because…uh, Jughead."

"Jughead, yes."

"Mhmm."

"We don't talk about this."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Great."

"Fantastic."

"So, I'll just uh…"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Bye, Lis."

"See ya, Arch."

* * *

Lunch at school the next day was awkward. Sort of.

Archie and Jughead walked towards where I, Kevin and Sam sat on a picnic bench. Veronica and Betty were busy with cheerleading practise.

The redhead and his companion sat opposite to me, next to Sam.

"Hey, Sam." The two of them said in unison to make the brunette known of their presence.

"Archie, tell Max that whoever the poet is, writes amazingly lovesick poems. And the he or she should stick to it." Sam said, thumping her fist on the table surface.

"Yeah..uh, Max-" Archie refused to meet my eyes.

"Hi, Arch." I blurted, "How was practise today? And by practise, I meant football. Also, what time are you meeting Oscar? Did he call? Did he say anything abo-"

My ramblings were cut off with Kevin exclaiming, "Oh. My. God. You guys totally kissed!"

I stopped talking abruptly as Archie looked away. For a second, my gaze turned to Jughead who had stilled.

"You did, didn't you?" Sam snickered, "That's why there's so much tension in the air."

"Well, I wouldn't call that ki-"

I cut off Archie, saying, "I'd call it a display of affection which took a disastrous turn."

"No, Max, that doesn't make any sense."

"You're face doesn't make sense, Archie."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means what it means and- hey, Juggie, where are you going?" I asked as Jughead suddenly stood up.

"I have some work." He mumbled, "With Betty. At the Blue and Gold office. I forgot." He turned and walked away rigidly.

 _Oh my god, please tell me that Jughead is jealous because Archie and I kissed. Please, please, please, pl- Oh who am I kidding._

I looked at Archie who returned my gaze.

"We're okay, right?" He asked.

"I'm okay if you're okay." I replied, shoving the thoughts of a certain beanie wearing boy to the farthest corner of my mind.

"Such drama." Sam sighed.

"That too because of a _teeny, tiny_ kiss." Kevin continued.

"Shut up."

* * *

" _You're spending the night at the Blossoms'?_ " I screeched at Veronica as she sipped her coffee, sitting opposite to me, next to Sam.

The three of us decided to spend the evening at Pop's as none of us had anything progressive to do. It was a little late in the evening, and Betty had left after her date with Trev.

"Cheryl offered." Ronnie said, "And I couldn't say no. I want to end this war between us that I didn't know was going on."

"But spending a night underneath the same roof as Penelope Blossom is taking it too far," Sam munched on her fries.

I leaned back, "Does Betty know?"

"Yeah," The dark haired girl nodded, "I told her when she was in the press office with Jughead."

 _Another twinge in my heart_.

"….Right."

"Speaking of which," Ronnie leaned in excitedly, "I heard you and Archiekins made out."

Sam almost choked on her fries. After gulping down water and making sure she was okay, she said, "I'm pretty sure I didn't say making out."

" _Sam!_ " I exclaimed, "Don't go tell people about this."

"I live for gossip, babe," The brunette said, with a smug face.

"Besides" I told Veronica, "It was a complete mistake, and Archie and I talked it over. One kiss is not a big deal."

"Not when it's Archie whom you kiss, apparently," Sam mumbled under her breath.

"What do you mean?" I asked sharply.

"Nothing," Sam raised her arms in mock surrender, staring past me, "It's just that your crush on Jughead is too obvious and I know you're the poet who has been writing those sappy poems for the newspaper."

"Psh, what are you talking about." I waved away the thought, "I can't rhyme to save my life."

"Archie told me."

" _That traitor._ "

"Wait, What?" Veronica chimed, confused, "You're that poet I'm in love with?"

"…."

"…."

"Umm…"

"And what's this about you liking Jughead?" She said, all confusion gone, "Does he know?"

"Obviously he doesn't know and," I shook my head, swiping a few fries from Sam's plate, "I don't like him like that."

Sam snorted, "And I'm not blind, Ronnie."

Ronnie didn't stop staring at me, the smirk growing on her face until I growled in exasperation, "Right, fine. I do like him. Actually, I like him a whole fricking lot, okay? And it's hindering my thought process. The only reason I'm able to write these poems is, like I told Archie, because his face pops up every damn time. And the way he looks at Betty when he thinks no one is looking! I'd rather be dead than experience that again. I shouldn't be jealous of my friend because of this-this unimportant little…thing. I shouldn't be telling you all of this because no one is supposed to know. But I just can't handle it alone. I need help. Oh my god, what do I do?" I gripped my hair, slamming my forehead on the table surface, "Ow."

I could feel Veronica and Sam shaking with quiet laughter.

"…Wow, that's a lot of feelings." Sam snickered.

"I think you should tell him, though." Ronnie said, shoving fries into her mouth, "He is your best friend."

"Yes, and I'm chopped liver."

"Shut up, Sam. See, that's the problem, Ronnie. I can't tell him _because_ he's my best friend. You saw what happened between Archie and Betty. I don't want that to happen between me and Juggie."

I must have looked so dejected that Ronnie placed her hand over mine, "Well, my dear poet extraordinaire and genius pianist, you never know he might feel the same for you."

I groaned as I remembered the way he looked at Betty when he heard she had a date, "No, I'm pretty sure he has a thing for Betty. Even if he shows no such kinds of emotions. Just the way he looks at her kills me. Or at least I think it kills me."

"Stay strong, Max." Sam said, a strange element in her voice, "In the end, he is just a boy. Don't lose your mind after him."

"That's the thing, Sam," I said, sadly, "For me, he's not just any boy."

* * *

 **Guysss, the response to the last chapter blew me awaaaaaaaay. ZOMG. Really. Thank you all so so so much for all the love 3 3**

 **Apart from seriously procrastinating by not writing chapter 24 (YES I'M ON CHAPTER 24!), I watched season 1 of Once Upon A Time in two days because someone showed me the picture of Robbie Kay and I CAN'T GET HIM OFF MY MIND. But, now I'm not allowed to watch anything on my laptop because I am supposed to be preparing for my college entrance exams as I dropped out of the first college I had chosen. *sigh* Bad times, indeed.**

 **Anyway, does anyone have any ship names for Max and Jughead because Mughead sounds weird to me.**

 **Also, what do you say I kill off someone you like from the story? MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**


	18. Chapter 18

_Archibald Andrews ditched me._

 _He ditched me._

 _Me._

 _His teacher._

 _For Valerie Brown._

How did I get to know that? It was after waiting for two hours after dinner and then peeping into Archie's room did I find out. They were hunched over a couple of music sheets, and Valerie was helping him re-write the songs _I_ helped him write.

I don't have anything against Valerie. She is actually a very nice person as compared to Josie. But this made me mad.

I decided not to act now and to talk about it with Archie himself. If my rage subsided, that is.

 _You can't ask me to help you with your music and with writing your songs and then dump me without even telling me. That too, after making me wait two hours. Does he not know how important it is for me to manage my time and practise? Does he not know that I am competing in a prestigious competition that I cannot afford to lose?_

 _Let it go,_ a voice whispered in my head, _don't make a big deal out of it._

I sighed and closed the curtains, hiding myself from Archie. Not that he knew that I saw him and Valerie.

I really couldn't afford to be side-tracked now.

I had a competition to win.

* * *

The next day at school, Jughead, Betty and I gathered at the Student Lounge where Betty updated us on what she had learnt from Trev.

"Wait, Jason sold _drugs_?" I asked, sitting next to the blonde, "Forget that, _Polly tried to kill herself?"_

Polly Cooper was nothing like her mother. In fact, none of the Cooper kids were like their mother. Both were kind and considerate and wonderful. I had always looked up to Polly. She was like the elder sister I never had. So when I heard that she was sent away during the summer, I was devastated. And now, hearing that she had tried to attempt suicide, it hurt me further.

"Betty, I'm sorry." Jughead said, sitting on the adjacent couch, leaning forward, "That's hard-core."

"I asked my dad if I could call Polly." Betty looked at me, "He said she was doing better. But then, when she heard about Jason's death, she had a big setback." I clasped Betty's hand, squeezing it gently, "He doesn't want to risk another one."

"Why does a rich kid sell drugs?" Juggie narrowed his eyes, getting up and walking a bit.

"He was running away from his parents." Betty said.

"Maybe drug dealers?" I piped up and Jughead nodded at me, leaning against the wall, "Yeah?"

"Oh, my God. Is that possible?" the blonde looked at Jughead and then me

"It's a theory." Jughead turned to look at us, at Betty more specifically, _Don't think about it, Max,_ "Yours is more likely."

"Why would he run from his parents, though?" I questioned,

"Because they're monsters." Betty said, as if it were the most obvious answer.

"Yeah, but why, specifically." Jughead fidgeted with his fingers, an action which meant that he was thinking hard.

"Well, we can't exactly just ask them."

"So we have to ask Jason."

"Are you proposing a séance or-" Betty held a little disbelief in her voice.

"No." Juggie shook his head, chuckling at the blonde, "Dead men tell no tales."

" _Oh_ " I said in realization, "Break into his room? During the uh…memorial?"

"More or less, yes." Jughead nodded at me.

"Well, if that's what we need to do to find some intel then okay." I shrugged as Jughead smiled at me.

"Alright then," Betty nodded, "Let's go together to the memorial. Juggie and I can take a look in Jason's room while you make sure that nobody catches us."

I opened my mouth to protest. I wanted to ask why I couldn't be with them. _Why does Jughead get to be with you?_ Instead, I grinned and said, "Stop people from finding out that you're fooling around in the deceased golden boy's room. Yeah, sure. Why not. I'm sort of clumsy anyway. I'll just get in your way." _That didn't come out the way it was supposed to, did it?_

Jughead narrowed his eyes at me, "Are you okay?"

I swear my heart stopped for a second, scared that he might have somehow read my mind.

"Yeah," I scratched my neck, "Why?"

"You're acting weird." He walked a little closer to Betty and I, "You have been acting weird since you kissed Archie…for a while and-"

"You kissed Archie?" Betty asked, shock masking her features.

"No. No!" I yelped, lifting my arms a little, "That was a complete accident. Neither of us meant to kiss the other."

"Oh." The blonde looked at me for a second and then glanced away.

"Betty, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It didn't seem important. I swear there's nothing between us." I said, reaching for her hand.

"Oh, Max." Betty smiled at me, "It's okay. I know it was an accident. It doesn't bother me now. About Archie. I'm fine."

"That's good." I sighed in relief.

"Coming back to the topic, Max, you _have_ been acting weird." Jughead cut in, "Sam noticed too."

"I honestly didn't notice anything strange," Betty frowned at me, "I usually do." She turned her gaze towards Jughead and gave him a look which I couldn't really understand.

So I laughed, "Actually, mom is making me compete in this recital thing. It's pretty big and if I won it, well, my record will look great. I could get into Julliard easily. Well, not easily. The experience will teach me much about the auditions for Julliard."

"Ooh," The blonde gripped my hands, excitedly, "When is it? Where is it?"

My mood lifted a bit, at her genuine happiness, "In New York. Dad's saying he'll drive me there."

"You're going to be amazing, Max," Betty radiated enthusiasm, "You're gonna win it for sure."

I bit my lip nervously, "I don't know about that. The participants are quite famous and-"

Jughead flicked my forehead, "Stop worrying about that. Head home and practise."

I shot him a confused look, "Where are you guys headed?"

"Juggie and I have to go over some articles and stuff for the paper. So we're staying back," _Was it just me or did Betty look at him longingly?_

"Oh."

* * *

" _I know that I don't own you,  
and perhaps I never will  
so anger when you're with her,  
I have no right to feel  
I know that you don't owe me,  
and I should ask for more;  
I shouldn't feel so let down,  
all the times when you don't call  
What I feel — I should show you,  
so when you're around I won't;  
I know I've no right to feel it  
but it doesn't mean I don't_"

I read the poem all over again, suddenly hating the words that I poured into the diary. Gritting my teeth, my vision blurred as tears of frustration gathered in my eyes.

 _Why, why, why am I crying? It's not a big deal._ I breathed heavily, trying to calm myself. _That's it. I'm frustrated because I've never felt this way towards anyone. Well, Mark from sixth grade doesn't count. He moved away anyway. I'm crying-this isn't even called crying- because I can't understand what to do. Yeah. That's it. I'm fine. Totally fi-_

"So, when is the competition?" Jughead's voice asked as he strolling into my room, out of the blue, as I quickly slammed my diary shut, "You never did tell us."

I twisted in my chair to look at him, as Jughead leaned against my bedroom door, crossing his arms, "Wha-what are you doing here?" I croaked out, my throat hurting.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked, now sitting on my bed, "And tell me the truth. I know when you're lying."

I sighed, wiping my eyes and, went and sat next to him, "It's nothing, Jug. I'm just…stressed I think." I fought to keep the fluttering in my heart down as I wrapped my arms around the boy, "School and music and-and _everything_ "

"…Did Archie do something to you?" I detected the almost hesitation in his voice as he shifted so that we were both comfortable.

I chuckled, "No, no. I mean, yeah, he dumped me for Valerie but-"

" _Dumped you?"_ He sounded a pitch higher maybe.

"Music lessons, Jughead. I taught him how to write sheet music. I will never date Archie Andrews if that means anything to you." I lay on my back with my hands resting on my stomach, "It's to clichéd."

He tugged on his beanie and hmmed in response, lying next to me, "Boy dating the-girl-next-door, huh."

"We both know that's Betty." I tilted my head so that it touched with Jughead's, "I'd rather put my piano before everything."

Jughead chuckled then solemnly said, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

I smiled, _Not everything, Juggie._

"You know _you_ can tell me anything, Jugster." I bumped my shoulder with his.

"Yeah."

My smile dropped, "Then why are you hiding things from me?"

This time he smiled _that_ smile, "Why are you?"

* * *

"You didn't even tell me that you didn't need me, Archie." I spoke as I played the piano. Archie was in the process of climbing into my room, one of his legs dangling outside as he froze at my words. His right hand was in a bandage.

He sat down on the window sill, "I was going to-"

"I'm not mad," I continued to play ' _Chaccone'_ , "Archie, it's not a big deal. I know I can't help you like Valerie does. My field is classical music. Not pop or anythi-"

"Oscar said he can't help me."

I stopped playing abruptly and turned, "What?"

"He said that he doesn't think he can help me."

"Oh, Archie. I'm so sorry." I said, standing up and walking towards him, "What will you do now?" I sat down next to him, pulling my legs up.

"I really don't know, Lis." He ran his fingers through his ginger hair, "I feel lost."

I sat beside him in silence. I didn't know what to say so I took his right hand in mine, running my fingers over the coarse surface of the bandage.

"You injured your playing hand."

"That was a miscalculation on my part," He sheepishly said. "So, what were you playing right now?" Archie tried to change the topic.

"Oh, uh, Chaccone. This one is Bach's." I said, scratching the back of my neck.

"The way you were playing," The redhead began, "It was…as if you were lamenting."

I furrowed my eyes in confusion, "Lamenting?"

"Like…well, it made me think of lost love." He glanced at me.

"Really?" I said, frowning, "I never felt like that when I play this piece. Maybe your way of understanding music is different than mine."

"Is this what you chose to play at the competition?" He asked.

"Oh, no. No, mom actually-uh- she gave me a few options. I have already decided on a piece. This was just to pass time. I got bored from playing 'Waldstein'."

He nodded and looked solemn for a moment "We sure are a weird pair, aren't we, Lis?" Archie chuckled, ruffling my hair.

"Why can't I ever be mad at you?" I laughed, running my fingers through my bobbed hair towards the right so they fell like a curtain on my face.

"Because I'm your best friend."

" _One of them_." I chuckled and paused before saying, "Nothing's making sense right now, is it?" I pressed my palms on the back of my neck, biting my lower lip.

Archie's facing, seeing mine, grew serious too, "Does anything ever?"

"No...I suppose not."

* * *

 **Have I ever told you guys how much I love you? No? Well, I love you guys so so so much!  
Really, the response to the previous chapter is amazing. It motivated me so much! I'm still confused between Maxhead and Mughead. Though I am leaning towards Mughead.  
I'm currently packing up my stuff from my college dorm and am heading home. Goodbye crappy people who ruined my life and tried to break me, and goodbye crappy college which made me realize that education doesn't measure the value of a person.  
Coming back to the story, I was wondering if the face claim for Max's mom could be Lana Parilla. What do you guys say? Yay or nay?  
Also, do you have any questions regarding the story? Or any events that you're looking forward to from Max's perspective? Leave a review, ask me absolutely anything.  
The poem belongs to Lang Leav, who is a wonderful, wonderful poet. I love her works.  
** **I noticed a lot of people worrying how Max will react to Jughead and Betty's growing relationship. All I can do right now is laugh in the most evil manner there is. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

I honestly wanted nothing to do with the death or investigation of Jason Blossom. I really, really didn't. I like to think that I was pulled into the madness by Betty, and by default, Jughead. So, when fate provided me with a chance to act like a proper teenager instead of ' _Nancy Drew's side-kick_ ' or ' _The Human Metronome_ ', I jumped to grab it.

A sleepover.

No, no. I know what you're thinking. I must be at the Blossoms', with Cheryl and Veronica, forcing myself into the storyline after convincing the red haired girl that she needed me in her life.

But I wasn't.

Instead, I was at Veronica's place, clutching my sides which were hurting after laughing so much as she told me and Sam stories of her drunken endeavours. Betty couldn't make it to the sleepover because she had things to do _with Jughea_ - _Bad Max. Don't think about him._

The memorial was two days from now.

"Damn, I really needed a good laugh." I said, wiping a stray tear as I controlled my laughter.

"Betty doesn't know what she's missing on." Sam threw herself on the giant, plush pillows that Ronnie's bed held, "Blondie and Beanie are too busy playing Super Sleuths that they're missing out on life."

"Now I know that Chuck Clayton wasn't the worst you've dealt with." I said, trying to change the topic but the girls caught on anyway.

"Is talking about Jughead still a problem with you, Maxie?" Sam crossed her arms dramatically and stared at where she thought I was sitting. Veronica turned the brunette's head towards me.

"Talking about Jughead _and Betty_." Ronnie said, "You can't keep running, Max."

"I'm not-I'm not running." I said leaning back on the bed, "I just want to avoid talking about it so that I don't feel sad. Because I shouldn't be sad about a guy not liking me back."

"I," Veronica began, "don't know how to respond to that for once."

"Neither do I." Sam shook her head, "Though, if you think it's just a crush then it'll pass – which judging by the poems you're writing - isn't."

"Shut up, Sam."

"Hey, I'm telling you the truth." She raised her arms in mock surrender, "Your feelings for him, from what I have observed – with my ears and sensory powers – they run deep. You have to do something about it."

I gulped and hid my face in my palms.

"At least you're not in denial." Veronica piped up, "and you're accepting it like a mature person."

"That's the thing." I stretched on the bed, this time hiding my face in the covers, "I don't want to accept that I like my best friend. I value our friendship. Jughead isn't some random guy who anyone can date. He deserves someone smart and pretty and intelligent like…like Betty!"

Sam settled herself between the covers, snuggling into the pillows.

"What makes you think you're not smart and pretty and intelligent?" Veronica asked, giving me a 'what-is-wrong-with-you' look.

"Forget it," Sam mumbled into the sheets, "Giving her a pep talk is more difficult than making Reggie _not_ talk about football."

"Reggie. Yes." I threw myself at Sam, "Tell me all about whatever is happening between you and Reggie."

"Don't make this conversation about me." Sam covered her head with the sheets.

"Hey, at least there's something going on in your love life. Tell her, Ronnie." I tugged at the sheets, trying to convince Sam.

"We hung out a couple of times. He asked me out for a coffee. We talked and talked more. He is nice. Even though he acts like a massive jerk sometime. I like him." Sam said, without a hint of emotion in her voice.

"Does he like you back?" Ronnie shrieked, excited.

"…I think…we're dating?" Sam peeked at us.

The Latina and I screeched happily and threw our arms around the brunette. I started laughing loudly as Veronica giggled. We ignored Sam's cries of 'Let me goooo' and 'Get the frick frack off me'.

"My little Sammy," I wiped fake tears off, "All grown up." I patted the brunette's cheeks, slightly pinching them in the process.

"I'm going to sleep." Sam yelled, ducking under the covers again, "Ronnie, do you know Max hasn't ever seen Dirty Dancing?"

"What?" The Latina in question screeched, grabbing my shoulders, "How? Why? WHY?"

"Sam, come on. I hated that movie before it hit the screens. Just because you secretly watched it when we were 10 and liked it doesn't mean I have to watch _and like it_."

"Ronnie, don't listen to her," The brunette continued to fan the flames, "Betty, Archie, heck, _even Jughead_ tried to make her watch the movie. She resisted every time."

"That's it." Veronica declared, "Nobody puts baby in a corner."

"Ay what." I said, confused.

"We," Ronnie stood up, crossing her arms, "Are watching 'Dirty Dancing'.

* * *

" _That is dancing?_ "

"Shush, Max."

" _They're literally just grinding and nodding at each other."_

"Don't make too much noise. Sam will wake up."

* * *

" _What-what is that? What are they doing?_ "

"They're having sex."

" _That's how they have sex?_ "

"Max, shut up."

* * *

"Ey, not bad. Those are some groovy moves."

"You did not just say 'groovy'."

"Did and am proud."

* * *

It was one in the night (a school night, might I remind you), when we finished the movie. Veronica sat facing me, with a smug look on her face while Sam snored away in a corner. I stared questioningly at the laptop, deciding whether I liked the movie or not.

"So?" Ronnie egged me, "Did you like it?"

I opened my mouth to speak but paused for a moment then spoke, "It was…okay. I mean, at first I thought it was irritating. But the dancing was-"

"Don't you dare say 'groovy'."

"-groovy,"

* * *

"Get the hell out of my way," I grumbled at the oncoming crowd as Sam, Ronnie and I made our way to the student lounge where the rest of the gang were sitting.

I was so, so grumpy for not getting enough sleep. I almost dozed off in English and Biology today.

"Why didn't you sleep last night?" Jughead asked as I slumped next to him on the couch that he was sharing with Betty. I snuggled into his side, refusing to answer. He sighed and put his arm around me.

"I made her watch 'Dirty Dancing'." Veronica proudly said, sitting on the arm of the couch that Kevin sat on. She made Sam sit next to Kevin.

Archie sat up straight in his armchair while Betty stared at Ronnie. A collection of 'What!?'s and 'How did you do that?' echoed in the room.

"Guys, come on, it's not a big deal." I managed to groan out, pulling up my legs on the couch, "Stop acting so surprised."

"We have never been able to make her watch 'Dirty Dancing'" Betty leaned forward, looking at Ronnie, who still looked proud of herself.

"Not even Jughead could persuade her." Archie said, looking at me. I stuck out my tongue at the ginger who rolled his eyes.

"I shall consider it an achievement of a lifetime." The dark haired girl giggled.

"Hey, can we go to Pop's today?" I asked Jughead as everyone started talking amongst themselves.

"Why, are you paying?" He teased, flicking my forehead.

I caught his fingers and laughed, "If I say yes, will you say yes?"

"That," He leaned towards me, his fingers still entangled with mine, "is a horribly constructed sentence and yes, let's go after school. I was kidding about you paying."

"So, can I read your novel yet?"

"Maybe."

"Really?"

"No."

"Rude."

* * *

"I swear to god, if you don't put your phone away, I will legit chuck it out of the diner." I fumed at Jughead who was bent over his phone, texting away like he had been ever since we got here thirty minutes ago.

He looked up sheepishly and apologized, "Sorry. It's Betty. We're going over some things for the paper."

"It's always Betty." I grumbled.

"What?" He looked genuinely confused.

"I said it's always Betty. You've stopped hanging out with me. Or coming over for dinner. We don't talk for days. Or maybe it's just me." I shrugged, "I just feel like I'm third-wheeling our friendship or something like that. I don't' even know what's going on in your life anymore. I don't even remember the last time we hung out together. _Alone._ "

"Lis, I'm sorry you feel like that" he frowned at me, "It was not my intention to make you feel that way. I didn't know." He put his phone away, "I just had some things that I needed to take care of so I-"

"See, that." I placed my hand on the table, leaning forward, "You're still hiding things. You used to tell me everything, Juggie."

"And I will." He nodded, "Just-please-try to understand, Lis. I'll tell you when I-I'm ready, okay? Just trust me."

I looked away, "You don't have to tell me to trust you, you know."

Jughead hesitantly placed his palm over mine, "I'm glad to have you in my life, Lis."

I smiled half-heartedly.

 _If only you knew what you mean to me._

* * *

 **Yeaaaaaah, I'm not really sure about this filler chapter buuuut ;_; okay sorry about this. I will make up for this. Promise.**

 **Alsoooo, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL THE LOVE YOU'RE GIVING TO THIS STORY AND TO ME!  
Shout out to MyHeart (Guest reader), thank you so so so so much for that review. I'm trying hard to make sense of my life at the moment.  
I don't mean to darken the mood but one of my seniors committed suicide a few days ago and that really hit me hard. We've spoken a few times too. I was upset the entire day. I just wish I could've done something to help him. Or if only anyone could've done something to help him. It messed with my mind. How he did it and all. He was always so joyful and made everyone laugh. No one knew what he was going through.**

 **Really sorry to talk about this but I just felt like writing about it.**

 **Anyway, thank you all for reading! Please leave a review if you want to know anything about the story or just leave one in general! ^-^  
**

 **Stay happy and healthy, everyone!**

 **Cheer!**


	20. Chapter 20

I wore a normal black dress with a sweetheart neckline for the memorial. I pressed my palms over the dress, trying to calm myself as Betty put on her black shrug over the dress.

"I think I'm nervous about breaking into a dead teenage boy's room." I said, twirling beside Betty, looking at myself in the mirror, "Aren't you?"

"Not really." The blonde looked at me, "Hey, we'll be fine. Jughead and I will be quick."

"You ready to enter the belly of the beast?" A new voice said and in front of me, Betty's jaw dropped and she smiled.

Looking confused, I turned to face Jughead who wore a black suit. And my mouth almost dropped. I just stared at him blankly, my heart pounding away.

"It was the best I could do." He said with his hands in his pockets.

Betty smiled at me but Jughead caught my eye.

"What?" He asked, raising his eyebrow, smiling shyly.

"Nothing." I shook my head, still smiling like the love-sick fool I was.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"I always look at you like this. What are you on about? But, damn, you look very handsome in the suit." I walked past him, patting him on the shoulder, "Come on, we gotta leave."

I heard Betty and Jughead chuckle and walked out as fast as I could before my ears started heating up and my face flushed red.

 _Wow._

* * *

Betty, Jughead and I sat in the last row, Kevin and Sam in front of us alongside Archie who wore his letterman jacket to the memorial and carried Jason's jersey which he planned on giving to the Blossoms.

I tugged on Jughead's beanie, trying to make it look appropriate enough for a memorial and combed his hair with my fingers at the last moment.

"Why is your hair sticking up, Juggie?" I whispered as I ran my fingers through his dark locks. People had begun to fill in the hall. I saw Betty's father in a corner, conversing with one of the guests. My parents had yet to arrive.

"Hell, if I knew." Jughead whispered back, "Stop, stop. My hair looks fine." He grabbed my fingers.

"Yeah, well, now they do."I tried to retract my fingers and Jughead kept a firm hold on them. I playfully glared at him. He smirked and let go of my fingers.

Archie turned back and spotted Mrs. Blossom and got up, walking up to her with Jason's jersey in his hands, "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Blossom. I thought you might want to have this."

Mrs. Blossom looked dazed for a moment, lifting her hand to ghost it over the redhead's cheek and touched his hair, "You're so much like him." Suddenly, snapping out of it, she took the jersey from Archie's hands, "Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you, Archibald."

Archie nodded in response and returned to his seat next to Valerie.

"Did she just touch your hair?" Kevin questioned, making a face. Sam opened her mouth to speak but Betty beat her to it.

"That was really sweet what you did." The blonde gently touched his back.

"She deserves it." Archie said, looking at her slightly, "More than I do."

Veronica walked past Mrs. Blossom, nodding at her and stopped in front of us, "Days like today really put things in perspective, huh?" She sat down on the chair, still facing us, "I mean, at least we're here. At least we're alive."

I nodded at her and leaned back. Jughead had put his arm on the back of my chair. He was now gently making circles on my shoulder. I unconsciously leaned into his touch, sending him a smile. His gaze softened and, maybe that was just me, but his blue eyes shone at me. My heart fluttered.

Suddenly everyone turned at the sound of loud footsteps. Jughead withdrew his hand and as I turned, I clasped his hand in surprise.

Cheryl had walked in, wearing the same dress she was wearing when the Jason incident had occurred.

The room was so quiet. Everyone stared at her in shock. Our heads turned as Cheryl walked past us, her hands clasped in front of her. I shared a look with Jughead for a second.

The red-haired girl walked all the way to the podium, ignoring Veronica's "Oh my god" and Sam's "What's happening? Why is it so quiet?"

"Welcome to Thornhill." Cheryl began, "Thank you all for coming. If you'll kindly take your seats." She waited until everyone had sat down. I spotted my parents at the front. "I'd like to start the memorial with a few words about Jason."

All of us stared at Cheryl, open-mouthed. I still gripped Jughead's hand which he squeezed in response to comfort me. Veronica looked towards the redhead's parents and mouthed "You are only going to make things worse." As we waited for Cheryl to continue.

"The last time I saw Jason, I was wearing this dress." And she went there. "I know it's impossible. But I swear, when I put it on, it feels like he's in the room with me. Even though we were twins, I used to demand I have my own birthday party. Until one year, out of the blue, Jason convinced me we had to combine them into one. It wasn't until years later, I found out why. It was because no one wanted to come to mine. And Jason didn't want me to know." Her eyes now shone with tears, "He protected me. Every single day. I wish, that day at the river, I had protected him." She turned back and faced the coffin, placing a hand on it and sobbed, "I'm so sorry, Jay-Jay."

At this, Veronica got up and shot towards Cheryl to console her, "We failed you. All of us." Veronica placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder and the two embraced, the latter sobbing harder.

I tightened my grip on Jughead's hand lightly as he looked at me and then at Betty.

Everyone began to get up and Mrs. Blossom took this opportunity to lead everyone to the salon for supper.

I left my chair as soon as she announced supper and tugged on Jughead's hand. Betty got up along with him and the three of us made our way to Jason's room. Not that we knew where his room was. We made our way according to the fifth grade memory of Jason and Cheryl's birthday party.

We began to peep into rooms down the hall until Jughead finally found the room.

"Is it me" Betty began as she entered the room, "or did the temperature just drop like it does in horror movies?"

"That's just the icy chill of the dead." Jughead replied.

"Could you be any more emo?" I asked, keep a look out on the hall.

"Where does a teenage boy hide things?" Betty stared at Jason's bed, not knowing where to start.

"Under the mattresses, maybe in the drawers," Jughead said, "in the closet."

"Behind the headboard is where Archie hides his porn, so I'd suggest that." I voiced my opinion as Betty and Jughead started searching. Still staring at the empty hallway, my mind wandered about the Blossoms until

"Hey, guys, didn't Cheryl and Jason have a grandmother or somethi-"

"Hello."

I almost screamed as the door almost closed behind me. I peeped in to see Jughead standing behind Betty in close proximity, both with a horrified look on their face as an old, old woman wheeled herself in front of them.

Nana Rose.

* * *

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Thank you so much for the love and support! :) :)**

 **Sorry for the short chapter. I really didn't know where to start and where to end ._.**

 **Ingridie asked if Jughead feels something for Max or not. Well, this is definitely not a Bughead fanfic. And Jughead does feel something for Max, but it'll probably take time for him to realise what it is because this story is kind of a slowburn. Also, the relationship between Max and Jughead and different than that of Betty and Jughead so...yeah...**

 **Please leave a review for this chapter!**

 **P.S. I love killing of my characters.**


	21. Chapter 21

"Holy-"

"I'm so sorry, we were just leaving." Betty said, turning on her innocent face.

"Oh." Nana Rose sounded surprised, "It's you." The three of us looked at her confused. I didn't know what Nana Rose looked like as she had her back to me, "How lovely to see you again. Come closer, I wanna get a good look at you."

"The horror." Jughead gripped Betty's shoulder in a way that made me burn with jealousy but I pushed the feeling away, "The horror."

"Come closer, Polly dear." At this, Betty looked back at Jughead, confused and shocked on being called Polly, but walked forward and sat down on the bed. I walked into the room quietly, from behind Nana Rose and stood next to Jughead who quickly grabbed my hand, clearly creeped out by the old lady.

"It's nice to you again, too." Betty said, hesitantly, "I'm sorry it had to be under such terrible circumstances." By this, Nana Rose had taken Betty's hands into her own

"Well, of course you're not wearing it." The old woman felt the blonde's hands, "God bless."

"Wearing what?" Betty asked, clearly baffled.

"The ring, Polly. That ring has been in the Blossom family for generations. You keep it close to your heart, always. But don't tell Penelope I gave it to you. Or she'll likely come and snip it off your finger!" Nana Rose made a terrifying face as she enacted the snatching away part.

"I won't, I promise." Betty was clearly terrified of the way the old lady spoke. Her eyes were wide with fear as she looked at us. Either that or she was pained by the new information that we had found out.

"Such a shame. Your wedding was the last thing I was living for. I lost a grandson, but you, you've lost the love of your young life. Poor child." The woman patted Betty's hand gently.

Tears started streaming down Betty's face, "Excuse me." She all but ripped her hand away from Nana Rose and ran out of the room.

I tugged at Jughead's hand as we followed her out.

"Betty, Betty!" I called after her as we descended the stairs, into the crowd, "Jug, can you see her anywhere?"

"No, I can't" He stood on his toes, looking over the mass of people gathered.

"Max! Jughead!" Archie voice came. We turned to see him making his way towards us through the crowd, "Where were you? Where's Betty?"

"Yeah…well…" I said, awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"She might've run off home." Jughead said, hands in his pockets, "She must have been upset because of Polly."

"Why would the memorial upset Betty?" Archie furrowed his eyebrows.

"Archie, Jason and Polly dated." I said, as if speaking to a child, "The reason Polly was sent away was because of Jason. You know that."

The red-head gaped at me and then nodded, "Yeah, I almost forgot."

"I'll call her on her phone." I told Jughead.

"Yeah, I'll look around." He said.

"I'll help." Archie piped in, "I'll ask Ronnie and the others, too."

"That'll be of great help. Thanks, Archie." I said and walked to a quiet corner, pulling out my phone from my dress pocket.

Yes, my dress has pockets. I got them stitched so that I don't have to carry around purses or clutches or shove my phone into my bra or anything.

Smart, eh?

I dialled Betty's number and she picked up immediately.

"Bet-"

"I'm fine." She cut me off, her voice sounding tired, "I'm heading home. Need to clear things up with dad. I'll text you and Juggie soon, okay? Don't worry."

"It's hard not to worry about you, Blondie. Feel better soon, yeah? Keep us updated." I said.

"I will. Bye." Betty sighed into the phone and hung up.

I turned around to look for Jughead only to find him hovering over me with a curious look on his face. I jumped slightly at his appearance, not quite expecting him to stand right behind me.

"And?" He asked.

"She's heading home." I said, pocketing my phone, "She'll keep us updated and she'll text you soon. Asked us not to worry."

He just nodded in response.

"Hey, I can't stay longer. The competition is in three days. I need to practise. I'll be going home too." I said, stepping back from him.

"I'll walk you." He offered.

"No, that's okay. I'll walk home alone." I nodded, "I'll text Archie and say that Betty's gone home. He'll be staying here longer with Sam and the others."

"You sure? It's no problem for me." He said as we walked to the giant doors of Thorn Hill, avoiding people.

"Yep. Yes." I sort of shook my head, "I'm gonna go straight to practise anyway."

Jughead smiled at me, "Do me proud, Phil."

I grinned.

* * *

For the next three days, I had absolutely no contact with the outside world. I practised and practised until I was sure that even Archie had gotten no sleep. The score is everything, was what my mother said. You can't be off the tune by even a sixteenth of a second.

So I played and played until my fingers went numb, until my fingers had memorised the entire piece.

It wasn't until the night before we left for New York that Jughead came knocking on my window. Frowning slightly due to the time, I opened the window to let him in. Not having spoken with any human being besides my parents did a number on my emotions. So I wasn't exactly sure how this conversation could end.

"I need advice." Was the first thing Jughead said, adjusting his beanie.

"Sure…uh…just make it quick please. We need to leave early tomorrow." I said, pulling the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my knuckles.

"Right. Sorry about that, by the way. I know it's late." He replied, hesitant, "Girls, that's what I wanted to talk about."

My breath hitched for a second and I looked at him, unsure, "W- _What_?"

"Betty, actually." Jughead started pacing around the room, with his thumb under his chin, "I've been feeling a little weird around her."

My heart started beating so loud against my chest that I felt faint, "Weird…how?"

"Just…I feel like I want to be around her more." He stopped pacing and looked at me.

I fidgeted with the sleeves of my sweatshirt and sat down at the foot of my bed, "You…uh-gotta give me more than that."

"Well." He paused to think for a moment, "Hold her hand, maybe? I don't know. Is this normal?"

There was this sinking feeling at the bottom of my stomach. It hurt so much. And my heart. It ached like never before.

"May-maybe you have a crush on her?" I offered, wishing to all the powers in the world that it wasn't true.

"I could, couldn't I?" Jughead said, a little frantically, "I need to figure out my feelings. They're interrupting my thought process."

"I can't help you with that, Jughead." My voice sounded a pitch higher, "You need to do that on your own. And it's getting late. I need to sleep."

 _I feel pain._

 _Why?_

"Are you alright?" He asked, concern masking his features.

"Yeah," I nodded, "You know how I get after not talking to anyone."

 _Excuses._

"Oh yeah…but do you think I should tell Betty?" He asked, genuinely curious.

I got irritated, "I don't know, Jughead. Why don't you? Tell her everything? Why are you even bothered with what I feel about this?"

Jughead looked a little taken aback for a second, "Not really. I'm worried about how I feel for her."

 _It hurts._

 _So much._

"This-I don't even know why I'm-I'm having this conversation with you." I snapped at him, the pit in my stomach growing deeper, "I'm sorry, Juggie, but I'll see you after I get back from New York." I indirectly told him to leave and he obliged.

He climbed out of my window, said goodnight and wished me all the luck for the competition.

"Thanks, Jug. I'm sorry…for tonight. I don't- I think it's the nerves." I apologized profusely. My throat burned.

"Hey, I get it." He replied, surprisingly gentle, "You just focus on the competition. Win it. Like I said, do me proud, okay Lis?"

I smiled and nodded.

Hours after Jughead had smiled back at me and left, I lay awake in bed. I thought over the fact that Jughead liked Betty and that my feelings, which I was sure that ran deep, were one-sided.

 _Unrequited._

I ended up getting no sleep at all.

* * *

 **HAI EVERYONE!**

 **I'm super excited today for no reason. Also, I'm overwhelmed by the reviews you guys leave. They make me continue writing. Reading your comments makes me think "OHMYGOD They actually like my fanfic! They like my characters! YASSSSS!"**

 **I've been looking everywhere for face claims for Max and her dad and Sam. If you guys have any suggestions, please tell me _/\\_ I'm not going for any mainstream face claims...**

 **Thanks for reading! Leave a review. Send me an IM. Ask me anything ^-^**

 **See you guys next week!**


	22. Chapter 22

Dead last.

I came dead last in the competition for the first time in my life.

Never before had this happened to me. At most, I ranked second or maybe even third. But never last. I'm not boasting or bragging but I was just that good.

I didn't understand where I went wrong. I practised the piece every day. But I ruined the score. The sound I produced was grating to everyone's ears. It was like I couldn't hear myself play.

Deep inside, I knew it was because of what had happened with Jughead.

A week after the conversation between Jughead and I, I barely spoke a word as dad and I drove back to Riverdale.

 _Mom is going to be so shocked and disappointed._

Dad did try to cheer me up, saying that the competition didn't matter. And that it's nothing to be upset about. But even he knew what it meant to me and my career.

As soon as we reached home that evening, I made a beeline to my room and slammed the door shut. I skipped dinner and refused to answer mom as she came knocking at my door. I thought I'd cry because I really felt like it. But I didn't. Not one tear escaped my eyes. I just felt infinitely sad.

I didn't touch my piano for another week after that. I refused to go to school. I refused to talk to anyone. All the curtains in my room were closed. Archie knocked on my window, asking me to open it, but I didn't let him in. I switched off my phone and threw it in a drawer.

I didn't want to accept my failure.

* * *

The first person I saw when I went to school finally was Sam.

She was walking with Reggie down the hall with her back to me as Reggie guided her through the crowd.

"Sam?" I called, my voice hoarse.

The brunette froze and turned, "Max? Where are you?"

"Right here." I walked fast towards her and threw my arms around her.

"You never returned any of my calls," Sam's voice was choked as she clung to me, "I was so, _so_ worried."

"I'm sorry." I whispered, ignoring the fact that Reggie, along with several passing students were staring at us, "I'm so sorry."

"Worried is putting it mildly," Reggie said as I let go of Sam, "She couldn't think straight for hours because she had you on her mind."

"Thank you for taking care of her while I was gone." I said, smiling slightly.

Reggie blushed a little, "I didn't take care of her. I made sure she was eating properly in school. And that she made her way to right classes at the right time."

Sam blushed too, "That is called taking care of me, Reggie."

"Thanks, Reg." I nodded at him.

"Just don't do what you did again." He ruffled my hair, "You spoke to Andrews yet?"

"No…didn't see him."

"What about Wednesday Addams?" He quirked his eyebrow.

"….No."

"I don't think she has spoken to anyone yet, Reggie," Sam raised her hand to hold Reggie's arm. He clasped her hand in his.

I smiled at this. They were adorable.

"Well, I'll see you in class then."

"I'll _hear_ you in class, then." Sam tried to joke.

"That," I said, "was horrible."

"Hey, at least I tried."

* * *

I managed to avoid Jughead and Archie, well, everyone throughout my classes until Archie cornered me during lunch.

"Where the hell were you?" Was the first thing he asked me, as I quickly closed my locker. I turned and pressed my back against it, examining his face. He looked worried and at the same time, angry.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I haven't been well for some time. So I took the week off of school." I folded my arms in front of me, nervously.

"Is it about the music competition?" He lowered his voice while raising his eyebrow.

"…No." I scratched the nape of my neck.

"Wow, okay. So it is." He said, smugly.

"It's not." I shook my head, "It really isn't."

"Max, I just caught you lying. Don't make it worse."

I slumped my shoulders, "How do you and Jughead always know?"

"How bad was the competition, Max?" Archie asked.

"…I came dead last." I mumbled.

"What!?" The redhead exclaimed in shock, "Max, how is that even possible?"

I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, "Don't, okay. Just-just don't. I had a tough time-this was so important. And I failed." I could feel myself choking up on words.

Archie embraced me gently, rubbing my shoulder, "And you cut off yourself from the rest of the world because of that. I'm so sorry, Lis. I should've been there for you."

I sniffed and buried my head in his shoulder, "No, I couldn't face anyone."

 _Especially not Jughead._

* * *

I went straight home after school.

I didn't talk to Betty or Veronica and avoided Jughead like plague. I just felt like detaching myself from everything.

But that wasn't going to happen.

As soon as I opened the door to my room, I jumped violently and yelped at the sight of Jughead, sitting cross-legged on my bed.

"What," I ran my fingers through my hair, "Are you doing here? Breaking and entering is a crime."

"No." He looked at me crossly, "You are in no position to ask any questions, Max."

"This is my r-"

"Why have you been avoiding me?" He asked bluntly, looking me straight in the eye.

I opened my mouth to reply but I found myself freezing.

"I know you're not avoiding Sam because I saw you talking to her in the hallway in the morning. You're not avoiding Archie because I saw you two during lunch, _hugging_." He got up from my bed and walked closer to me, "So, tell me, Max. What is it that you can talk to Archie about but not me?"

"I-I don't want to talk about it." I managed to say, turning my palms to fists on either side of me.

"Fine," He said, "Then tell me why you locked yourself in your room, refused to open the door for anyone but your parents and why you switched off your phone?"

"Jughead, stop." I said, feeling tears gather in my eyes, "Please."

"Why would you tell Archie but not me?" He asked, a little hurt in his voice.

"I don't want to, okay?" I yelled at him, "There are some things that I can't tell you. There are some things that I can only talk to other people about. Jughead, you're my best friend but you have to accept that I can't tell you everything."

"But why Archie?" He demanded, frowning at me.

"He asked. I lied. He caught me lying."

"But if I ask, would you tell me?" Jughead narrowed his eyes.

I walked past him, flinging my bag on my study table, "I don't know."

"Is this about you losing the competition?"

I dug my nails into my neck, flexing my arms, "Oh my god, does everyone know about this?" I could feel my ears and eyes burning.

"Lis, you don't need to put yourself down because you couldn't perform well." He put his hand on my shoulder, gripping it gently.

"No," My throat constricted, "You don't know how I feel."

 _You don't know how embarrassing it is for me to fail so miserably in front of the world. In front of you. Because of you._

His features softened, "Oh, Lis." He held me and at that moment I let lose my emotions.

I don't know how long I sobbed in his arms.

* * *

 **Oh my, what is this? Chapter 22 already? And it hasn't even been a week yet!**

 **I was really excited to share this chapter with you guys! Also, thank you all so much for sending me suggestions for the face-claims. Even though I haven't yet finalized Max, I have come to a decision!**

 **Drumroll please.**

 **Edmund Pierce : Benedict Cumberbatch (Just with long, black hair in a ponytail. With the whole Stephen Strange look, I think he fits the role.)**

 **Vivian Pierce : Lana Parrilla**

 **Sam Watson : Haley Lu Richardson**

 **Yay! Thank you everyone :) :D**

 **Some facts about the story:**

 **1\. Max was going to have an elder brother named Marcus which then changed to him being her twin brother. But then I scrapped the idea.**

 **2\. Sam was almost not in the story until I thought 'Fuck it.'**

 **3\. Max was going to be cold and distant and short tempered in terms of personality.**

 **4\. Archie was going to be Max's ex-boyfriend turned friend.**

 **5\. Betty and Max initially didn't get along because Betty thought that Max was going to take Archie away from her.**

 **6\. If asked to choose between Game of Thrones and Pokémon, Edmund Pierce would choose Pokémon without a thought.**

 **7\. Sam was not going to date Reggie originally. It just sort of happened because my friend thought they were cute.**

 **8\. Max is scared of moths and bees. Edmund is deathly afraid of clowns and connects with Sam Winchester on a personal level because of that. There isn't much that Vivian is afraid of because she was pretty much a badass.**

 **9\. Vivian used to be on the cheerleading squad and the track team and was one of the fastest runners. She regrets the fact that Max inherited Edmund's viewpoint towards sports.**

 **10\. Edmund barely passed P.E. He was still the valedictorian.**

 **11\. Sam doesn't like her dad.**

 **12\. Edmund once called Cliff Blossom a 'dickless retard' in front of the school for bullying one of his friends for no reason. Needless to say, Cliff still hasn't forgotten and is still sour about it.**

 **13\. Max loves Naruto, Death Parade and Attack on Titan. Her favourite characters from the series are Itachi Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyuga, Iruka, Kakashi Hatake, Ginti, Jean Kirstein, Marco Bott, Sasha Braus, Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman and Hanji Zoe. She'd give anything to sock Isayama Hajime across his jaw for what he did to Marco. On multiple occasions, she has had dreams about her marrying Jean, Kakashi and Itachi. Separately, of course.**

 **14\. Vivian once beat the shit out of F.P Jones. He still sports the scar on his jaw as a memento from the 'Amazonian'.**

 **15\. Sam used to love gory movies as a kid. Her parents thought that it was weird.**

 **16\. Max loves K-POP and is a huge, huge fan of BTS and BIGBANG. She has tried to make Archie and Sam listen to them but to no avail. She didn't even try persuade Jughead. He's a lost cause.**

 **17\. Vivian and Edmund are secretly scheming on how to convince Max to learn how to drive. They're tired of driving her around the town.**

 **18\. Max once snipped off a chunk of Jughead's hair by accident in fifth grade. He didn't speak to her for a week.**

 **19\. Although there is a 'no swearing' rule in their home, all three Pierces swear like sailors.**

 **20\. Max was sort of based on Kousei Arima from 'Your Lie in April'**

 **Thank you all for reading! Leave a review, send me an IM, whatever floats your boat ^-^**


	23. Chapter 23

"What do you mean you can't play anymore?" Sam demanded during lunch, three days after my breakdown.

We were sitting outside on the picnic benches with Archie, Betty and Veronica.

"It means that I haven't touched my piano ever since I came back from New York and even if I did, I couldn't play anything." I explained as if it were nothing, biting into my apple.

"That doesn't make sense, Max." Archie said, frowning.

"You face doesn't make sense, Andrews."

"What-"

"What he means, Max," Betty leaned forward on the table, sitting next to Veronica and Sam, "Is that how can you _not_ be able to play anything."

"Well," I took another bite and chewed slowly, "It means that the ' _Human Metronome'_ has become the ' _Human No-tronome_ ' because I mess up my tempo, my fingers stumble and I can't exactly feel what I play."

"That sounds pretty bad." Veronica said, guiding Sam's hand to her mouth which held some fries.

"But that can't be possible," Archie said, stubbornly, "How is it possible?"

"Did you hear me play even once, Archie?" I deadpanned, "Did you stay awake the whole night because I wouldn't stop playing the piano?"

"No, I couldn't sleep _because_ you weren't playing."

"Oh."

"So what now?" Betty asked, "How do you plan to get back on track?"

"I," I began, "Have absolutely no idea. I'm just going with the flow. I don't feel like touching the piano anyway."

Betty and Archie shared a look.

"Max, what's wrong?" Sam asked, suddenly deadly serious, "You're not even talking to your parents. They're really worried. We are, too."

I snorted, "So they ended up calling you, huh. I prefer to stay quiet these days. Don't want to talk or anything."

"What kind of an answer is that?!" She snapped.

I sighed and gathered my things. Veronica frowned at me, "Where are you going?"

"I'm skipping the next half. Heading home." I said, adjusting the strap of my messenger bag on my shoulder.

Archie stood up along with me, "Max, you can't-"

"See you guys later." I mumbled and walked away, ignoring their calls.

* * *

My parents ended up not knowing that I skipped school, thankfully. Or if they did, they didn't say anything. So I closed the door to my room, refusing dinner, shut the curtains and started to write, just like I had been for the past week.

Poems started from two lines to four to twenty I wrote. Don't ask me why. I just did. And as I finished writing one, I would rip it up and chuck them in the trash can. I never kept any of them. Not one. And my mom and dad never asked why I emptied a basket full of waste paper every day.

At 11 in the night, I kept my pen down and decided to give the piano a try.

My fingers were cold when I touched the black and white keys. When had they gone cold, I wondered as I tried to play the simplest piece that came to my mind. But there was just something that stopped me from playing.

 _It's too noisy to play_.

I stood up and went to bed.

* * *

My eyes flew wide open and I sat up straight on my bed, restless. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my palms and checked the time.

4:36 AM.

Something made me walk all the way to my piano and sit on the bench.

 _It's too quiet._

I began to play _Toccata and Fugue_. It was like I never stopped practising. My fingers flew over the keys as I stared in a daze. Vaguely, I heard the thuds of footsteps outside the door to my room and figured that I must've awoken dad as he was a very light sleeper.

Sure enough, my dad entered the room, his messy hair reaching his chin as his ponytail was untied. I didn't stop playing as he said, "Honey, it's-" he pointed at my alarm clock "-not even five. Why are you up?"

"It's too quiet." I replied, monotonously.

He stared at me in disbelief, all sleep disappeared from his eyes, "It is supposed to be _quiet_ this early on a weekend m- Will you stop playing?!" He yelled and my hands immediately froze.

Without realizing, my playing had grown louder and louder until it drowned out his voice.

"Max, sweetheart," He reached for me but I shrank away from his touch. With hurt apparent in his eyes, he continued, "Please, _please,_ tell me what's wrong. It pains me to see you like this."

I blinked at him, confused, "Dad, I-I'm perfectly fine."

He sat down next to me on the bench, "No. No, you're not. You haven't been since we returned from New York."

I opened my mouth to reply but froze because I realized that I had, in fact, been behaving in a monstrous manner with my family and friends.

"If not me, then tell your mother." Dad said, "We are concerned about you. You haven't been eating at all. You missed school for a week and skipped yesterday. You hardly talk to your friends."

"I just-" I paused and licked my lips, pressing them together before speaking, "I don't know. I've been feeling a little off."

"Do-do you need to see someone?" He asked, hesitantly, "Like a shrink or someo-"

"No, no!" I exclaimed, "No, it's nothing like that. I'm still not over the competition. I just need time."

Dad looked at me for a moment then said, "Are you _sure_?"

"Yes."

He got up, nodding, "Okay, okay. But the moment you find you can't handle something, _you come straight to me or your mother_ , understand."

"Yes."

"I love you, kiddo."

I smiled a little.

* * *

Because of the constant twitching in my fingers, I ended up playing a bit more until someone from the neighbourhood called up my mom, requesting if I could stop playing. I had no other option but to comply.

I went downstairs for breakfast and found mum and dad already there, with dad reading the newspaper and mom eating her cereal. They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion which stopped as soon as I entered the room.

"All okay, sweetheart?" Dad closed his newspaper and smiled at me.

"Yeah, great." I forced a smile, reaching for my mug and started to make coffee.

"So, are you back to playing now?" Mom questioned, keeping her spoon aside.

"I…don't really know. Something just made me want to play today." I said, sipping my coffee.

Dad chuckled lightly, "Well, I really hope you won't be waking up early every day to practise."

"Yeah," I said nervously.

Something made me feel that this wouldn't be the first time I'd wake up at ungodly hours to play my piano.

* * *

 **I'm glad you guys loved the facts section! :D I have more if you guys would like to read them.**

 **This was more of a filler-ish chapter.**

 **Also, I've decided to try and post once every five days rather than every week. It's easier for me (and probably you ;) ) as I'm not much of a patient person.**

 **I'd love to hear what you guys think about this chapter/this fanfic. Please do leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading! ^-^**


	24. Chapter 24

Monday morning I woke again at 4 AM, like I had on Sunday.

"It's too quiet." I mumbled to myself as I settled in front of the piano and began to play.

Even yesterday, dad came up to make me stop playing so that he could get some sleep. I didn't stop until 8 as the neighbours had called _again_. I knew there was something wrong with me that made me play each piece so violently. But I couldn't control my fingers.

I wondered if Archie was awake because of my playing. And soon enough, today, there was a banging on my window. I ignored it to a point where it stopped and the window squeaked open. Someone pushed aside the curtains and climbed into my room.

"Max, for the love of-" Of all the people, Jughead stood in my room, "Please, stop playing."

"Go away." I said, completely ignoring his request.

"We have school in-in _three_ hours. Archie and I stayed up most of the night. We _really_ need to sleep." Jughead was practically begging me.

I didn't listen and continued playing, the music getting louder and louder.

Something inside him must have snapped because the next I knew, his hands grasped mine, obstructing me from playing any further.

"Don't touch me," I snapped, snatching myself from him.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked, frowning deeply.

"Why don't you go back to Betty?" I snarled at him, suddenly furious. I had no idea what had come over me to make me speak in such a manner.

"Why would I- I was at Archie's, Max." He snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Why are you _here_?" I questioned, standing up and crossing my arms in front of me, "Why do you even care what happens to me?"

"Don't be so dramatic-"

" _Dramatic!?"_

"-Archie tried to stop me from coming here but I was really worried about you because you're not yourself these day. Now, _calm. Down._ "

I did. A little. My shoulders dropped a bit and I sighed, "Jug, you need to go. Please."

"No," He firmly said, "Not until you tell me what's bothering you."

"I-I can't. I don't know what it is." I frowned at Jughead, "I know it's making me act like-like a bitch, but I swear I don't mean any of it. I can't control my mouth these days. But, now-right now, you _need_ to leave."

"You don't want me here." He said, blankly.

"Not at the moment." I mumbled.

"What if it was Archie instead of me?"

His question threw me off completely.

"What does _he_ have to do with this?" I asked, incredulously.

He lifted his shoulders a little, "Doesn't he always? I mean, Entering and leaving your room through the window all the time. It's a _crime_ , y'know. But you are _completely_ okay with it. And you-you tell him everything. The day you came back to school, you went to _him-_ "

"I didn't-"

"What are you-are you two keeping secrets now? Because when I asked, you wouldn't tell me _anything_. And-"

"You're keeping secrets from me too!" I screamed at him and he immediately shut up, "You're _always_ with Betty, cosying up in that-that room, that office. You two keep secrets from all of us. _You_ never tell me anything. You're _always_ with _her. How do you think I feel about that?_ "

Jughead opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. He backed away from me and headed towards the window, climbing out of it. I followed him and peeped into Archie's room only to find him staring at Jughead's retreating form. The redhead turned to me, looking at me questioningly. I shook my head and smiled, pressing my lips together. He nodded and I closed the curtains, sighing behind the cloth.

 _What is wrong with me? I shouldn't have spoken to him like that. '_ Go back to Betty' _? Where did that even come from?_

I rubbed my eyes making my way to my bed as I scolded myself over and over again because of the mini-argument-ish. I wearily eyed my piano and decided to head to school where I could play in peace.

"It's too quiet." I said to myself.

* * *

My eyes drooped as I sat in the music room during lunch.

With Grundy gone, there was no other music teacher present so I made up my mind to stay here and play to my heart's content for the next few days.

Though, I must admit, I was a little tired.

Slowly, I fell asleep while sitting on the floor, leaning against the only upright piano the school owned. My chin rested on my chest as I stopped fighting back sleep.

Of course, it had to be disrupted by someone.

The slamming of the door jolted me awake and the sheet music in my hands dropped to the floor. The back of my head hit the piano and I yelped loudly.

"Max, there you are!" Kevin exclaimed, holding Sam who, I noted, had conveniently decided to not bring her walking cane to school.

"Finally." The brunette let out a sigh of relief, "We've been looking everywhere for you. Well, Kevin has. I just yelled around for you."

I yawned with my mouth wide open. Like, really wide. Kevin gave me a strange look and asked, "Have you been here the whole time?"

"Yep," I said, gathering the sheets, "Been here since classes ended. What's up?"

Kevin led Sam to one of the empty benches and made her sit, "The Variety Show. It's in a few days."

"What of it?" I asked, standing up and stretching my legs, all the while stifling a yawn.

"Oy," Sam snapped, "Don't you remember what you promised?"

I put all my weight on my left leg and crossed my arms, sheets still in hand and pretended to think, "Umm….Let's see….Well….Nope. I got nothing. What promise?"

Sam huffed, pushing back a tuft of hair that had fallen on her forehead, "I sing and you play. We're auditioning. Tomorrow."

"If it means anything," Kevin put his arms around Sam's neck, standing behind her, "I was the eye witness to this promise."

I blinked at him, paused and then said, "Yeah, sure. What song have you decided?"

Sam and Kevin looked confused for a moment before voicing it.

"Wait, that's it?"

"And I had prepared a whole speech on how you're my best friend and that you owe me-"

"-I expected a little more resistant-"

"-All that planning I did is for nothing."

I sighed, "I'm fine, you two. I'll play whatever you want me to play."

Kevin looked at Sam who was holding onto his hand while making a worried face. She blinked a couple of times and smiled, "Okay, then. You've read Harry Potter, right?"

"How dare you ask me that question!" I said in an offended tone.

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

"Sam, you know she's read it."

"Still, doesn't hurt to ask, Kev. Have you heard of Beth Crowley?" the last part was directed towards me.

"Um…Not really." I said, furrowing my eyebrows.

"No problem. She writes songs. Is a YouTuber. Is so amazing. I'm planning on singing a song that she wrote called 'Always'."

"Does this have something to do with-" Sam cut me off.

"Snape and Lily? Yes. It's a Snily song. Sort of."

Kevin handed me his phone and a pair of earphones, "Here, I have the song. Listen to it."

I took the device from his hands, a little hesitantly, when Sam said, "You don't have to listen to it now. Tell me if you approve of the song."

"Hey, I said I'll play whatever you like, didn't I?" I smiled.

I wish I hadn't said that.

I hated the song.

* * *

 **Ugh, I'm so sorry about this chapter. It's not one of my best works. Please bear with me for the next few chapters. I've been procrastinating a lot and am still now stuck on chapter 30 ;_; It's like have the entire story plotted out in my mind but I just can't seem to write it down.**

 **Beth Crowley is an amazing, amazing singer. Please check her out if you can.**

 **ALSO EPISODE 12 GUYZZZ I KNEW IT WAS HIM ALL ALONG! WHO ELSE SUSPECTED HIM?**

 **I'm so glad that people love Max and her parents! I was sort of nervous about starting this fic in the beginning. But it's turning out really great! Over 300 followers? Wow. It's amazing! Thank you all so so so much.**

 **See you guys next week! Leave a review, send me IM, whatever floats your boat. I'm open to suggestions and random chatting.**


	25. Chapter 25

Our audition was flawless even though Sam and I had practised only three times. Reggie Mantle sat in the first row, cheering loudly as Sam finished singing the last line.

I stood up and led Sam, who was giggling, backstage. Archie walked past us, holding his guitar.

"Good luck!" I smiled at the redhead, who looked _very_ nervous.

"Thanks, Lis." He patted my shoulder and walked to the centre of the stage.

I hoped that he wouldn't freeze and that he'd perform well. But, unfortunately, he panicked and even after Kevin's reassuring words, Archie left hastily. A few jocks made fun of him, booing as he ran.

"Oh no," Sam exclaimed, "Did he leave? What happened? Who's booing? Is it Reggie, 'cause if it is, I'm totally kicking his ass."

"No, no. It's not Reggie." I said, handing her her walking can, "Come on, it's almost lunch. You want to sit with Reggie or do you want to come with me?"

At least she had the decency to look flustered, "Uh…um…well, the thing is-"

"Sit with Reggie. Got it." I cut her off, "It's okay if you want to sit with him, stupid. You _can_ say no to me." I held her hand as she walked towards the door which led to the hall.

"But I haven't spent any time with you properly ever since you became, y'know, normal. I don't want you to feel neglected." She replied, opening the door and descended the stairs carefully.

"Watch your step over there. I won't feel neglected if you spent time with your boyfriend, Sam." I steadied her and then followed her out into the hall, "There he is. Oy, Mantle! Come and get your girl!" I called out to the jock who happily complied.

He kissed Sam on the forehead and said, "You were amazing. I didn't know you could sing so well."

The brunette blushed, hiding herself in his chest, "Yeah, well, you still don't know a lot about me."

I felt slightly awkward. Rubbing the back of my neck, I said my goodbyes and left them to watch the rest of the audition, making my way to the Newspaper office.

I adjusted the strap of my bag before opening the door to the office. At my sudden entrance, Betty and Jughead, who were hunched over the computer jumped a little and turned to face me.

"Max," Betty said, "What-what are you doing here?"

Feeling more out of place, I replied "I left a couple of things here this morning. Came to pick em up." And closed the door behind me.

Jughead slowly covered the computer screen by seating himself in front of it so as to obstruct it from my view. I tried not to think much about what the two of them were doing here.

"I didn't see you here this morning." Betty said, pulling on her ponytail.

"I was really early." I picked up a few of my notebooks from the table and before I could stop myself, I blurted, "What are you two doing?"

 _Stupid Max! You aren't supposed to care about what your best friend is doing with your other best friend all alone in a room in absolute secrecy in the dark. Oh my god, stop thinking!_

"Nothing." Jughead quickly responded, "Just going over some stuff."

I raised my eyebrows a bit, "Riiight."Was he still sour about the argument that we had? I shoved the books into my bag quickly and said, "Well, I'll leave you to it. I have to see Archie. You guys coming for lunch?"

"Yeah, in a while." The blonde nodded as Jughead frowned at the mention of Archie.

 _Yes! He frowned at Archie's name. No, wait, what does that mean? For all I know, he could be jealous because_ I _get to see Archie instead of_ him. _Could Jughead like Archie? No, no. Jughead doesn't swing that way, does he? I should really stop thinking._

"Okay." I bit the inside of my cheek, "So…uh…Bye" I avoided looking at Jughead and left hurriedly.

 _This is_ really _getting out of hand!_

* * *

"Poor Polly." Betty said as we sat together during lunch, "It's been months. There's gotta be a reason my mom and dad don't want me to see Polly. But I don't care anymore." She smiled at Jughead, who the whole conversation was directed towards.

I definitely didn't miss the way they conversed using their eyes and Jughead eating off Betty's tray.

 _No! That's not the way it's supposed to happen. Juggie eats my food and mine alo-Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

I scrunched up my eyes, and slapped my cheeks earning weird looks from the two and drawing Archie's attention.

"What are you guys talking about? Anything I can help with?" He asked, curiously as he munched on chips. Poor Archie. I thought that he wanted to be included in what was happening.

 _Well, I'm as lost as he is._

"What we're attempting is a stealth operation, Archie." Jughead said, frowning at the redhead, "If we go in there with the entire Scooby Gang, forget it, we're compromised."

I made a face at Jughead which I'm pretty sure said ' _What does that even mean?_ ' He just shrugged in response. My shoulders drooped and I pretended that I didn't care about what was going on. Except that I did.

"Well, don't you two have to practice for the Variety Show anyways?" Betty asked.

"Sam and I are done with practise. I'll say our performance is pretty solid." I said, biting into my sandwich.

Jughead looked a little taken aback, "You're performing? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I would've if you talked to me properly instead of yelling." I said, monotonously. Jughead looked a little taken aback.

 _No, Max! That fight was your fault. Goddamit, grow a pair and apologize!_

To diffuse the situation, Betty looked at Archie, "What about you?"

Archie and Valerie exchanged looks, "Uh, no, I don't."

"Except that yes, you do." Veronica appeared, holding coffee in one hand, "Thanks to a certain Veronica-ex-machina."she motioned Valerie to shift before setting her coffee on the table, "Excuse me." I shifted a little so that Val could move. Ronnie placed herself between her and Archie.

Kevin had a sour expression as he sat next to Jughead.

"What do you mean?" Archie frowned.

"Oh, nothing." Ronnie smiled mischievously, "Just that I had a few words with our director-slash-host, and reminded him that he's heard you sing on numerous occasions."

"Even though it compromises my artistic integrity." Kevin voiced, still looking sour. I sent him a sympathetic smile.

"Cutting to the chase, you have a slot if you want it." The Latina looked at Archie who sent her an appreciative look.

"Veronica, thank you, but you saw what happened."

"We all did." Kevin added. I chuckled.

"Playing my songs in front of you guys is one thing, but getting back up on that stage by myself I'm not sure if I'm ready for that." Archie tried to explain.

"If it's a partner you're looking for, Veronica Lodge is more than willing and able." Ronnie replied, smugly.

"Veronica, I didn't know you could sing." Betty smiled.

"Like a nightingale." Ronnie grinned in response.

"Yeah, I don't know about that." I attacked Val's fries, "You sang pretty terribly last time at the sleepover." I popped a few fries in my mouth, smirking at Val.

"That, my dear love struck friend," Ronnie smirked victoriously as I choked on the fries and my eyes widened comically, "was to help you get over you being unable to handle your ' _teeny weeny_ ' crush on-"

"Haha, okay, got it. Wow, you sing really well. I was really deaf back then." I cut in as Betty playfully narrowed her eyes at me. Kevin snickered at my expression. And I tried to look anywhere but at Jughead.

"Anyway," Veronica looked at Archie, "What do you say, Archiekins? Be the Jay to my Bey?"

* * *

 **EPISODE 13 HAD ME WHEEZING GUYZZZ**

 **I almost thought it was over for Cheryl. And the ending! O_O I have to think really hard on how to fit Max and Sam into the story now :'(**

 **What were your thoughts on the episode?**

 **Anyway, one of the guest reviewers asked me if I could do a Jason and Cheryl fic. I don't really know if I have a grasp of Jason's character so I really don't know if I can write it or not. That doesn't mean that I won't try, though!**

 **Review? Please?**

 **Thanks for reading! See you guys in a few days!**


	26. Chapter 26

Today was one of those days when you wake up and thought 'Oh…it's going to be a bad day.' And it does turn out to be a bad one. These days were a rare occurrence in my life until a few months ago. After I lost the competition in New York, I felt empty. Ever since I had that argument with Jughead, I lost interest in almost everything. In the past few days, I thought that I was getting better but today was just…dark.

I didn't want to get out of my bed. I did not want to feel the sunlight on my face when I opened the blinds.

Nevertheless, I forced myself to get off my bed and drew open the blinds. I brushed my teeth, stood under the shower with the hot water fogging up my mind and dragged myself to get dressed. In the end, I found myself wearing another pair of pyjamas.

Deciding to skip breakfast, I sat at my study table, gazing out the window, towards the Coopers' household. From here, I could see Betty running about her room, well clothed. She tugged at her ponytail and disappeared downstairs.

I sighed to myself.

 _Betty has so much going on in her life. And yet she has the strength to get up and face the day with a smile. Why can't I be like that? Why am I so weak-willed? Why can't I try harder?_

I rubbed my eyes and pulled out my school textbooks from my book shelf.

With all the drama that had been going on, I hadn't focused much on my studies. I patted my cheeks and opened my physics textbook.

"Right. Let's get going."

* * *

"Can we change the song?" Sam announced as soon as she burst into my room a few hours later.

I jumped a little from where I was sitting and looked up from my textbook, "What? Now? Sam, the show is _tomorrow_."

"Yes, I know." She flung her book bag on my bed and fell on my bed, "But…I don't want to sing 'Always'."

"Why?" I chewed on the end of my pencil, "What changed your mind?"

"I don't know." She huffed, crossing her arms, "Don't get me wrong. I love Beth's songs but I really want to do Adele."

"Don't we all."

"Not like that!" She flung one of my pillows at me but missed drastically. "I just- Are you fine with me changing the song?"

I stood up and walked over to her, "Hey, you're the star. Your wish is my command-"

"Are you sure you want to stick to that statem-"

"It's just for the show."

The brunette slammed her fist into her palm, "Dammit."

"Did you decide on the song?" I asked, sitting beside her.

"Yes," She searched the pockets of her denim jacket for her phone, "It's called 'Water Under the Bridge'."

"Oh…yeah, I've heard it. It's a good song." I murmured, a bit tired, "Are you sure we can change the song at the last moment?"

"I'll persuade Kevin. As nicely as I can."

"Okay. I'll look up the chords. When should we practise? Now? Or tomorrow morning?"

Sam frowned a little, biting the inside of her cheek, "What's up with you? Are you feeling okay? You don't sound like yourself."

I scratched my nose, "Nothing's up with me. Just tell me when we need to practise. Or if you want, we can start now. The sooner the better, right?"

"Yeah…" The brunette replied, uncertainly, "But there's something wrong with you, Max."

"I um…" I bit my lip, thinking whether or not I should tell her the truth, "I'm just feeling a little under the weather today. I'll be fine in a few hours…or by tomorrow." _Or maybe by the next month, year, decade, whatever._

"I'm here if you need to talk, y'know." Sam hesitated before speaking.

The corners of my mouth twitched upwards.

"I know."

* * *

By the time it was midday, I went downstairs to raid the fridge. Sam had decided that we would practise tomorrow. As I descended the stairs, I heard mom and dad talking in the living room. Thinking that I shouldn't avoid them anymore, I made my way towards them.

"What're you guys talking about?" I asked as I sat next to dad on the couch.

Mom sat opposite to us, on an armchair, "Well," she began, crossing her legs, "Fred has started a new project and has asked us for help. I need to look over the designing over the building while your father has to run through the plans for the project."

"Oh, the construction is taking place where the drive-in was?" I looked at dad who nodded in response.

"It's a pretty big deal for Andrews' Construction." He said, removing his glasses and wiping its lenses with the sleeves of his sweater, "Fred is almost bankrupt. So, this assignment could help him get back on his feet."

My eyes widened at this piece of information, "Oh my god, he's bankrupt?"

Dad sighed, "Yeah, and that's exactly why your mother and I want to help him. He's going through a really difficult time."

"Hermione Lodge is hosting a dinner in order to persuade Mayor McCoy into sanctioning the project," Mom continued, "And she invited us too so that we can present our ideas for the construction plans. That, and we've never actually had the chance to sit down and talk properly ever since she came into town."

I furrowed my brows in confusion, "What, you mean you knew Mrs. Lodge before she came to Riverdale?"

Mom smiled, "Yep. Mia and I, we were friends. Of sorts. We were on the cheerleading team together and lived on the same street. And she dated Fred during high school."

"So…does that mean you knew Hiram Lodge too?"

"We spoke…" Dad said, "Once or twice, I guess. Not many wanted to speak to the resident nerd at that time. Except PJ and Fred. We used to hang out whenever we had the time."

I pulled up my legs onto the couch and wrapped my arms around my knees, "I keep forgetting that you call Mr. Jones PJ."

"It started out as a joke and I was almost killed for calling him that." Dad replied, in an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone.

"Your father always said the wrong things at the wrong time." Mom smiled fondly at him, "Always got into trouble."

"Yeah, thank god I'm not like him. _I_ like to believe that I'm very diplomatic." I said, "Anyway, when's the dinner."

Mom and dad exchanged looks.

"Tonight." Dad said.

"Nice. I don't need to attend it, do I?" I asked, crossing my arms and leaning back onto the couch.

"Well…" Mom looked at dad and then said, "Fred and Archie would appreciate it if you did."

I snorted, "Ha, no. They would thank god that I didn't because I'm sure that I would screw up everything. You know how I am at dinner parties. Besides, I'm not in the mood to interact with anyone today. I feel tired."

"If you're so against it, then you can stay home. Maybe close up the shop for me?" Dad patted my back, "Just know that if you burn down the house while we're gone, we're putting you up for adoption."

I blinked at my dad.

"What? I'm serious." He tried to sound convincing and brushed back a few stray locks of hair.

"Sure."

"I'm not joking."

"I never said you were."

"Viv, she's not taking me seriously!"

"At this point, dear, neither am I."

* * *

"I messed up with Veronica."

I jolted awake from where I was sleeping on my study table, "Huh, wha- Archie?"

The red-head entered my room _through the door_ , wearing a formal white shirt and black slacks, "Were you sleeping?"

I wiped the corner of my mouth, "Yeah, must've dozed off. What were you saying?" I got up and walked up to him.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, "I…uh…remember how Veronica had offered to be my singing partner for the Variety Show?"

I nodded.

"Valerie quit the Pussycats and decided to sing with me. And we sort of replaced Ronnie and-"

I slapped his forearm, "How could you do that? Have I taught you nothing? Veronica _wanted_ to sing with you. She didn't _just_ want to help you get over your stage fright."

Archie closed his eyes and sighed, "I know. I messed up. I just- I don't know what to do now. Ronnie is really mad at me."

I felt a headache rising and unconsciously rubbed my temple with my forefinger, "Maybe…maybe you just need to give it a little time. Let Ronnie cool her head. I think she'll forgive you."

"You sure?" He asked me hesitantly, his dark eyes filled with nervousness.

I chuckled, "Knowing her, maybe yeah." I eyed his attire, "Dressed up for the dinner, I see."

"Yeah, dad and I decided to leave with your parents. I think your mom is still getting ready." He fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, "How do I look?"

I pretended to scrutinize him, "Hmm…I'd say…presentable."

The red head rolled his eyes and ruffled my hair, "Don't burn down the house while we're gone."

"Why does everyone keep saying that!?"

* * *

 **Omg, guys, relax! It's not a Bughead story! Mughead will happen xD xD My mailbox exploded with threats saying that Betty and Jughead shouldn't be together in this fic. Zomg XD I wasn't expecting such a reaction.**

 **I'm really excited for the future chapters. *cue evil laughter***

 **Thanks for reading! Leave a review! See you guys in five days ^-^**


	27. Chapter 27

At about 6 in the evening I forced myself to walk to our music shop uptown.

I thought that our little music shop was cute. It was called 'Pedal to the Bar' and had almost all the instruments.

Yeah, okay, the name is a little weird but in my defence, dad named this store and he tends to get a little eccentric when it comes to naming something. Or someone. I mean, he named me _Phyllis_.

So, our store sold CDs and cassette tapes, and fixed instruments. It was pretty famous. People from the neighbouring towns visit to get their guitars and flutes and violins fixed. It's usually Charlie Bates, the guy who we hired to take care of the store, who does all of the repairs. My dad joins him whenever he's off work. I end up helping whenever I'm free, which is a few times a month or so.

"He-ey, Max!" Charlie grinned, showing his crooked front teeth as I entered the store. His grey wispy hair seemed to be almost non-existent on his head.

"Hi, Charlie!" I greeted him, gazing at the squeaky clean store.

"You here to help out?" Charlie asked, sorting some records behind the counter. There was a door behind the counter which led to the office.

"Depends. You need any?" I leaned on the counter.

"You could help with the tapes. Arrange them alphabetically. Or take over the records. Or go over the guitar checklist. Some violins need tuning. And-"

"Okay!" I laughed, "You do need help. I get it. I'll start with the tapes."

"Much appreciated, Max." Charlie saluted me with two fingers.

I nodded and walked past the guitar section to where the tapes were placed, haphazardly on a cart, in front of a half-empty rack.

I know, I know. Who listens to tapes these days? Unsurprisingly, my dad does. So do a couple of old souls in the town.

Some of the tapes were empty for the purpose of recording mixes. Most had classical music. A few were classic rock and old school music.

Personally, I preferred CDs. Or, well, MP3s.

As I began to sort the As and Bs, the door to the store opened and Moose Mason walked in, wearing his letterman jacket as always.

"Marmaduke!" I greeted him with a smile, clutching one of the tapes in my hand, "What brings you here?"

Moose held up an acoustic guitar with broken strings, "Hey, Max. Dad wanted his guitar fixed. I was on my way to the town so I thought I'd stop by. What's up?"

I gestured to the tapes on the rack, "Sorting out stuff. Mom and dad are out for dinner with the Andrews' and I was free so I thought I'd help out here."

"Riight." He lifted the guitar, "I'll just-uh- hand this over and…uh-"

"Sure, sure." I nodded, "Take your time."

He returned a few minutes later as I finished with the Cs, "So I heard you and Watson are performing at the show." He picked up a few cassettes and scrutinized them, "Who even listens to these?"

"Hey! A lot of people do. And yeah, Sam and I are performing. She's singing and I'm-well, y'know- playing…" I placed five of Chopin's tapes on the shelf rack.

"I heard about the competition, by the way. The New York one." Moose placed the cassette tapes back on the cart and picked up a few more in their place.

I winced at his statement, my shoulders drooping, "Is there _anyone_ who hasn't heard of it?"

He chuckled in response, "It is a small town."

"True, true." I hummed, and started lining up tapes starting with D, "So, are you coming to the Variety Show?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I am." Moose said, stacking up the cassettes in his hands on the rack.

I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows at him, "Are you going with one Kevin Keller, huh, huh?"

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and paused a moment before replying, "No, actually. I'll be going with Midge. I…don't think she appreciated the fact that I was fooling around with Kevin the night when….you know….we found Jason. I have to make it up to her. And besides, Kevin has a boyfriend now."

I almost dropped the tapes that I was holding at this news, "What!? Keller's got a boyfriend now? When? When did that happen? How come I didn't know? Do you know who he is?"

"Nah." He shrugged, "I don't. I just know that he's seeing someone and that he's serious about him."

"Well, damn." I said in disbelief, "Go, Keller. And you're okay with this?"

Moose cracked a smile, "Of course. What Kevin and I had, it was a one-time thing. I'm happy with Midge. He's happy with whoever he's dating. All's good."

I playfully punched his shoulder, "Good on you, then."

"Hey, Mason. Your guitar's done." Charlie called out loudly, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two of us.

"Got it!" Moose replied loudly and turned to me, "Looks like I gotta go. Good luck for the show!"

I nodded and smiled at him, "Yeah, see you tomorrow."

He walked across the guitar section towards the counter and picked up the guitar. Carefully examining it, he nodded towards Charlie who looked pretty darn proud of himself for a completing a simple task and then disappeared behind the boxes of records with his guitar after paying. I heard the door open and close.

Humming to myself, I finished the tapes section in the next 45 minutes and walked around the store, looking at the newly arrived instruments. Just near the entrance, past the records, a grand piano stood, the black paint on it gleaming in the bright lights of the store.

 _How could I have missed this beauty when I entered?_ I thought to myself as I ran my fingers over the keys.

"Charlie?" I called out to the older man who looked up from his newspaper that he was reading while sitting behind the counter, "When did this-" I gestured at the piano "-arrive?"

"Oh, that?" He closed his newspaper, "Someone from Greendale ordered her. Should be arriving anytime now, the person."

"What, now?" I checked my watch, "It's almost 8."

Charlie shrugged, "I don't know. They just rang me up and said that they'd come to check on the piano today and by tomorrow, they'd take her home."

"Is that so?" I said, thoughtfully, "Check on the piano and take her home, tch. You'd think that they were talking about a pet." I mumbled to myself.

"Said something?"

"Nope." I sat down on the bench in front of the piano and, just for the heck of it, started playing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.

As soon as I finished playing, a voice behind me said, "Oh wow, so is this what you've fallen to after your crushing defeat in New York?"

I turned my head to see a person, who I'm _pretty_ sure I've never seen before, standing with a smug look on his face staring at me from the door.

"I mean," He continued, "I understand that it was humiliating for the 'Human Metronome'-" he made quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "to come _dead last_. But really, 'Twinkle Twinkle'? That's a new low."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion and slightly tilted my head as he pushed back his brown hair and talked on, his dark eyes shining with excitement, "Must've destroyed your ego, huh? Don't get me wrong, I'm sympathetic alright. But, I really don't know what you must be feeling because-" he chuckled, "I've never been in your position before and-"

"Okay, wait. Please. Could you just, like, stop for a second?" I held out my hands, making a 'T', "Catch your breath and all?" I tried to ignore all that he just said and for some reason, I could. Because it meant nothing, coming from him.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, "What?"

"Who are you?" I said, bluntly.

He almost slid off the wall and looked at me with surprise, "Are you trying to get back at me for saying what I just said to you? Cause that is _really_ mature of you."

I scoffed and got up, facing him, "You're one to talk, attacking me suddenly with your _stupid_ words. I'm honestly asking you, who are you?"

He looked at me in disbelief, "You can't forget the 'Crescendo King'!"

I blinked at him several times before digesting what he had just said, "'Crescendo Kin-', wait wha-" I looked at him more closely and realized that he resembled someone I knew from all the competitions I had ever attended.

"You're Christopher Grey?"

* * *

 **GUYZ I LEGIT HAD A DREAM THAT I SAID 'I LOVE YOU' TO JUGHEAD/COLE AND HE SAID IT BACK AND WE WERE DATING AND STUFF HAPPENED and then I woke up and realised that I'm as miserable as ever.**

 **This chapter didn't have any of the core four or...y'know any of the canon characters except Moose. P.S. For those who don't know, Moose's actual name is Marmaduke.**

 **While writing the character that is Christopher Grey, I tried so hard to remember where I had heard the name before because it fit really well. My friend reminded me saying "Dude...Christian Grey...Fifty Shades of Grey? Is your story gonna be a smutty one now?"**

 **Bear with me for the next two(?) chapters...**

 **Thanks for reading! Please do leave a review.**

 **See you all in five days ^-^**


	28. Chapter 28

"I don't see why it was so difficult for you to recognize me." Christopher grumbled, as we sat at the counter of the store.

"It's the hair, really." I motioned, "Every time I've seen you, your hair is gelled and combed back. And the fact that you aren't wearing your glasses. Or your suit."

He consciously touched his dark brown hair, which fell below his ears, "I don't think there's much of a difference." His fingers swept through the strands, tousling it.

I leaned back into the chair, "Oh, believe me there is. And what kind of a lame ass name is 'Crescendo King'? That sounds worse than the 'Human Metronome'."

Christopher glared at me, my attention falling on his _really_ green eyes, "No, it's much better than _your_ lame ass title. It's what the call me back in Greendale. I'm popular amongst the teenage musicians by this name."

I snorted, "You? Popular?"

"Yes, actually. You are too. You'd know if you actually paid attention to the crowd you attract with your music. You have a lot of admirers. I don't know what for, anyway. You aren't _that_ special." He said, snarkily.

 _You know, I'm getting mixed feelings from this guy._

I had met Christopher Grey when I was eight and he was ten. Mom and dad had taken me to Chicago for a competition and I had won by a wide margin. A lot of people congratulated me and gave me flowers when I exited the hall with my parents. There was this one super-short kid who was glaring at me with red-rimmed eyes. I remember, for some reason, I had decided to approach him to ask if he was okay only to be met with anger.

" _I don't know why you won, anyway. You aren't_ that _good."_

I was hurt, naturally. I dropped the flowers at our feet and ran back to my parents because I didn't know what else to do. Dad didn't notice my expression and picked me up, happily, saying, "You know what? Why don't we fly down to Orlando? You've always wanted to go to Disneyland, didn't you?"

In an instant, I forgot what had happened between me and the boy and I cheered loudly, throwing my arms around dad's neck.

Christopher and I kept meeting in competitions all over. I won most of the times and he grumbled and glared at me across the hall. He won sometimes and I cheered for him. He was always annoyed that I never stomped my feet and threw a tantrum because of his 'triumph'.

Over time, he grew from the super short, moody kid to the really tall, egoistical jerk.

"You know," I began, "I really couldn't get out of my house after New York."

The brunet stopped his mumbling and looked at me curiously.

"I've never felt such disappointment in myself. Or shame. Or anger and frustration. I couldn't touch my piano. It was as if I had forgotten how to play. I shut myself out completely. Didn't even speak to my parents for a few days."

"Did you know I was planning on giving up the piano in seventh grade?" He asked me suddenly.

I shook my head.

"Well, I did. I mean, I _was_. But I really wanted you to feel the way I felt every time you won. I wanted to see the look on your face. I just wanted to see the look- the disappointed, sad, _miserable_ look on your face _and feel satisfied_. I worked my ass off to win." He sighed deeply and dramatically, "But, you politely clapped _every damn time_."

I stared at him for a moment and he stared right back.

"You're really mean, you know that?" I said, furrowing my brows.

He crossed his legs and examined his nails and said, coolly, "I've been called worse."

 _Bipolar bastard._

"Here are the papers!" Charlie announced, appearing from the office, carrying a couple of loose sheets, "I checked the flute too. Sorry kid, can't fix it in a day. Would take a week at least. How did it crack that badly anyway?"

Christopher stood up to take the papers from Charlie's hands, "Let's just say that my little sister has one heck of a temper. But, I'll be staying here for a few days. I've contacted the movers. They'll be here for the piano tomorrow."

"You ordered a piano?" I scrunched up my face, "Don't you have one already?"

"I do," He pulled out his glasses from the breast-pocket of his jacket and put them on with one hand, "But, unfortunately, there was a terrible termite infestation. And my poor companion didn't survive." He scanned over the pages, "Looks like everything's sorted. Thank you, Mr. Bates."

Charlie puffed his chest at being called 'Mr. Bates'. Talk about an ego boost. "No problem, kid."

"I'll come over tomorrow, then." He removed his glasses and put them back in his pocket, "I need to check-in at my cousin's place. See you then."

"Do me a favour and take her with you, kid." Charlie nodded titled his head at me, "It's late and I can't have her walking home alone. I would've dropped her home but I have work."

Christopher shrugged, "Sure."

"Now, hang on. I can walk home alone." I protested.

" 'Night, Max!" Charlie waved at me. I lifted my shoulders at him as if to say 'What the hell is wrong with you?'

"Come on, Pierce." Christopher said, turning and walking out of the store.

"Why won't you listen?" I followed him out, "I can go home by myself."

"Just get in the car," He gestured at his blue truck, which was parked right outside the store, underneath a streetlamp.

It was pretty dark out here. Why are the shops closed up? It's too early. What time is it anyway?

"I'm not going anywhere with you." I crossed my arms, "I don't have the patience to listen to you insult me. You double…personalitied-"

"-That's not a word."

"I don't care!"

"Get in the car!"

"I don't want you to drive me home!"

"Stop acting like a child and get in the car!"

"No, fuc-"

"Max?"

I turned to see Jughead walking down the sidewalk, "Jug. Hey!"

His eyes darted between me and Christopher, narrowing a little when it landed on him, "What's going on? Who's he?"

"He…um…" I looked at the brunet and then at Jughead, "Is a… friend?"

"You can't answer a question with another question."

"I know him from some of the competitions. Charlie asked him to drop me home."

"Rightfully so." Christopher butted in, "With the Blossom kid murdered, it's not safe."

Jughead stared at him for a few seconds, sizing him up. He was an inch or so shorter than the brunet.

"You know what," He said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket, "I'll take her home."

Christopher motioned his hand as if to say 'Be my guest'.

"Come on, Max." Jughead moved forward and held my wrist, "Let's go."

I turned to look at Christopher, "Hey, thanks anyway. And I'm sorry. I haven't been right in my head for the past few days. Shouldn't have said the stuff that I did."

"Nah. You're not the first one to say what you said. I think I have a dual personality problem too sometimes. Besides, it's only right for your boyfriend to drop you home." He said simply, lifting his shoulders. He has dimples, I noted until what he just said hit me.

Boyfriend.

 _Boyfriend._

He called Jughead my boyfriend.

My heart began thumping against my ribcage and I could feel my ears burning, "He's-he's not my buh-boyfr-"

"Go home, Pierce." He cut me off, opening the door to his truck, "I'll see you later." He revved the engine and left. I stared at the back of the truck until it disappeared around the corner.

I felt a tug at my wrist and turned to Jughead, "Let's go."

* * *

 **And there ends chapter 28. I appreciate each and everyone of you who leaves me a review.**

 **...Not that I don't appreciate all those who follow/favorite/read this fic. I love you all!**

 **In case Christopher's description wasn't clear, he's about...6ft 2in, has brown, shaggy hair which reaches below his ears and green eyes which are pretty prominent. He has dimples too! His personlity is pretty screwed up. You can say that he's a tsundere. [How do I explain tsundere to those who don't know what it means? AAAAAHHH!] I adore his and Max's interactions in the future chapters. They're fun to write. No, he won't be paired with any other canon character [unless you guys want me to...]. I got so many messages saying that the readers thought of Christian Grey the moment Christopher was introduced xD I won't be writing smut though. I'm terrible at it.**

 **Come to think of it, I'm terrible at writing romantic scenes too ;_; Oh no!**

 **I can't believe I'm saying this but staying at home and not going to college is really really REALLY boring. My family and I shifted to a new city in a new state and I don't know anyone here. Luckily for me, my cousin left her puppy with us AND SHE'S SO CUTE AND FLUFFLY THAT I THINK I'LL DIE! The puppy's name is Jackie and she has beautiful eyes and has this cute expression that makes me want to squish her. My mum's not so fond of her because Jackie pees everywhere xD**

 **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. I'd love to know what you guys think of the fic so far and how you like/dislike Christopher.**


	29. Chapter 29

"So, who was he?" Jughead asked, casually, as we sat on the front porch of my home.

I rubbed my hands together, trying to warm up them up, "Who, Christopher? I told you, he's this guy I met way back in this competition. Never really spoke much to him. In fact, today was the first time I actually sat down in front of him and talked. Usually, he murders me in his mind multiple times for winning the contests. Or so I inferred from the conversation we had."

"Right…so that's it?" He asked, looking at me.

"That's it." I shrugged and tried to shift closer to him inconspicuously. Either he completely ignored the fact that our shoulders were now touching or he didn't notice my movement at all, "Jug, listen. I-" I breathed loudly, "I'm really, really sorry. About what I said. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It was technically my faul-"

"Max," Jughead interrupted me, grabbing my hand with his cold ones, "It's fine. I don't know what or how you're feeling presently, but I'm here for you. One stupid fight between us isn't gonna make me leave you."

I just prayed to God that it was dark enough for him to not see my blushing face as he let go of my hand. So I hid my face in my palms.

"I'm always snapping at you and saying rude things." My voice came out all muffled.

"You don't mean most of the things you say when you're upset or angry."

"You don't kno-"

"I always know."

That pretty much sent my heart spiralling down.

 _Oh my God, I think I'm going to die today. R.I.P. Phyllis Pierce, who died sitting next to the boy she loved. Cause of death: Overthinking about the things said by the boy she loves who also happens to be her best friend. Goodybye, you sadistic world._

I lifted my face to look at him to find his blue eyes already on me, making my chest ache in a painful manner that I would gladly go through again and again.

"So-o, what… have you been up to?"

He inhaled deeply and joined his hands, pressing them against his lips before speaking, "We…Betty and I…we went to see Polly."

 _Aaaand the feeling is gone. Wait. Did he just say-_

I sat up straight, "You went to- when? Where? How is Polly?"

"She's in this-this place. It's like a rehab run by nuns. Betty went in to talk with Polly and, well, we were leaving when Alice Cooper barged in. She dragged us away and Polly, she saw us. Lis, she's pregnant. It is true that she and Jason were engaged. They were going to run away together. Polly Cooper is pregnant with Jason Blossom's child."

My eyes widened drastically, "What the fuck? This practically changes everything! The Coopers and the Blossoms, they've _never_ gotten along. They have some shitty history." I ran my fingers through my hair, "Oh my god, Polly could be in danger, Jughead. Cliff Blossom is a despicable bastard and Hal Cooper is no less."

"How-how do you know about the problems between them?" Jughead asked, glancing at the Cooper's residence on the opposite side of the road.

"My dad and Mr. Cooper used to bond over their mutual hatred for Mr. Blossom. Though dad soon grew out of it."

The conversation soon dissolved into a comfortable silence until Jughead stood up.

"Well, I gotta get back. This past week has left me drained. I'm gonna sleepwalk all the way back." He pulled at his beanie.

I lifted my hand, asking him to pull me up and he obliged. For a few moments, we didn't let go of each other.

Jughead opened his mouth to say something but decided against it.

"What is it?" I asked, gently narrowing my eyes.

He shrugged, "Nothing, really. So, Variety show tomorrow. All set?"

"Nah, not really. Sam decided to change the song today so we need to practise before the show starts tomorrow. But, I guess we'll be fine."

Jughead nodded and stood there awkwardly.

"Come to the show?" I asked, hopefully.

"I wouldn't miss it." He smiled and my heart skipped a beat.

The way the blood rushed into my head, the way my ears burned and the way my fingers tingled, made me want to run away in fear. Instead, I threw my arms around my best friend, taking him by surprise.

"Max?" He voiced his concern, wrapping his arms around me.

"Promise me you'll be safe. Investigating Jason's death, messing with Cliff Blossom- it's all very dangerous. Jug, you _need to_ promise me that you'll be safe." I buried my face in the crook of his neck, my voice muffled.

I heard him inhale sharply and felt his grip tighten, "I'll try to."

As I dropped my hands, he held onto me, pulling me closer for a second. He then let go and looked me straight in the eye. Suddenly, he placed his hand on my cheek and I could've sworn he had heard the way my heart beat wildly.

Deciding to take the risk, I placed my hand over his, "Jughead?"

"Max…I-well-" He stammered which was _really_ unusual for him, "About that guy…Christopher…"

"I told you, he's just my friend."

"I…right…the thing is I…"

I raised my eyebrows waiting for his response, "You….?"

"Actually, I…you see-I..you...-"

My expectations rose alarmingly. And they would've even if you were in my place.

 _Is he actually-_

He quickly dropped his hand, "I'll see you tomorrow."

 _Fan-fucking-tastic, Forsythe Jones. I almost died. Again._

Trying not to show the dejection, I smiled as widely as I could, "Yeah, goodnight."

He jerked his palm upwards as if telling me to wait, "Did-did you think I'd say something else?" He asked, genuinely curious.

I was taken aback at this, "Uh, no. Pfft. Not really. I mean, how could I have known what you were going to say? Really, now. You should go sleep. It's late… and… all." I scratched my nose.

Jughead suddenly smiled so widely as if he had found the answers to all his questions, "Sure."

"Why-why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, stepping back a little.

He chuckled, "Nothing. Goodnight, Lis." He kissed me on the cheek, turned and walked down the front lawn.

I slapped my palm on the place where his cold lips had been and was pretty sure that my face resembled a tomato.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I called after Jughead.

"Nothing means nothing!" He answered loudly, "Goodnight, Max." and with those final words, he disappeared into the night.

I climbed the stairs of my porch and opened the door quietly, rubbing my cheek, "What is _that_ supposed to mean? You expect me to have a good night after you pull a stunt like _that?_ "

As I entered the living room, I saw Dad kneeling on the couch with his ear pressed against the window shade, and Mom chiding him.

"Viv, shush. I can't liste-"

"-Good grief, Ed. Grow up, pl-"

"-she could be declaring her undying love for Jughead and-"

"- _Edmund!_ "

"My dream will finally come true, Viv! You don't understa-"

I cleared my throat as loudly as I could and slammed the door behind me shut. My parents jumped off the couch and turned to me, both with a guilty look on the face. They had returned from the dinner early, I presumed, seeing as they were still dressed.

"H-honey, you're late!" Dad tried to cover up his act, crossing his arms. Mom rolled her eyes at him.

I nodded, "Uh huh. I'm going to bed. You should too, instead of _eavesdropping,_ dad."

"I wasn't-"

"Goodnight, parents."

* * *

 **Honestly, I edited this chapter 12 times and was still not happy with it. *whines* This is such a bad chapter and I was so excited for it *cries*. And I couldn't wait to post it sooner.**

 **I really wish I had parents like Edmund and Vivian, though. They're like my OTP.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. Let me know what you think.**


	30. Chapter 30

"We're all set. We're all set. No need to be nervous. We'll do gre-Who the fuck am I kidding?!" Sam groaned, running her fingers through her brown hair.

"Hey!" I scolded her, "It took Ronnie a lot of time to tame your mane. Don't mess it up. And stop fidgeting! We'll be great." Yet, I wiggled my toes nervously in my converse.

"I knew it. It was all my mistake. I'm gonna screw up." She walked up and down the stage as everyone around her helped set up the mics and the speakers. She bumped into a girl who shot her a nasty look.

"Watch it, Watson."

"Hardy har har, buddy. I'm kinda deprived in that department."

"Stop it, Sam." I grabbed my friend by her shoulders, shooting the girl she bumped into an even nastier look, "Beat it, Patel!" I led Sam through the curtains, to the backstage, where everyone was getting ready.

"She's probably going to whine about to Cheryl now." Sam grumbled, "Jesus, I should've never changed the song. What if we mess up?"

My left eye twitched in annoyance, "That's it. I'm calling Reggie. You can go home with him. We don't have to perform."

"Noo!" She whined, grabbing the front of my blue dress, "That's not what I meant."

I placed my palms on her cheeks, "Then shut the fuck up and calm yourself. We'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say."

"Stop grumbling. Imagine you're in an empty room when you sing on the stage. I'm not really comfortable saying it buuut…it's quite easy for you to assume that you're alone." I said gingerly as I let go of her.

"Oh my God, Max. I _can_ take blind jokes. Besides, you have the right to make cracks on my visual impairment. Kevin does it all the time."

"Speaking of Kevin-"

"I heard my name!" Keller walked with such grace sometimes that I felt that he glided, "What's up?" He was dressed in a tux and a bowtie as he was the host for the night.

"What's up is that I had to hear from _Moose Mason_ that you, Kevin Keller, are dating someone." I crossed my arms and glared at him playfully, "So, who is it?"

"Oh, his name is Joaquin. He's _gorgeous._ " He fanned himself dramatically, with a love struck look on his face.

"He sounds weird to me, though." Sam piped in, linking her arm with Kevin.

"That's because-" Kevin lowered his voice drastically, "-he's a Southside Serpent."

I choked on my spit. Almost.

"What!? Are you nuts? You're dating a borderline criminal?"

"Hey!" Kevin exclaimed, "He hasn't done anything illegal. I-I mean, he must've…before. But, I can assure you that he's not a criminal."

"Not even a _borderline_ criminal."

"You be quiet, Sam."

"Just saying."

"Don't get yourself in trouble, okay?" I said, smiling.

"I won't." He smiled back and peeked through the curtains, "Look at the crowd! We should be starting in like five minutes."

And sure enough, Keller put on his 'Show Face' and walked onto the brightly lit stage, waving at everyone.

"Hello, Riverdale High, and welcome to the 75th annual Variety Show!"

Sam and I waited for a number of performances until our turn finally came. Even though she didn't show it, I could feel the jitters being emitted from my friend. Looking over my shoulder, just before Kevin announced our names, my eyes met Archie's. He was alone, I noted.

Raising an eyebrow at him, I mouthed 'Valerie?'

He smiled widely and lifted his shoulders as if to say 'Well…'

I understood that he was performing solo so I smiled back at him. Archie mouthed 'Good luck' while I heard Kevin cheer my name along with Sam's. I nodded at the red-head, grabbed the brunette's hand who exhaled loudly, and walked onto the stage.

The hall was packed.

I had never seen a full audience at any of our school activities. I tried not to search for Jughead in the crowd. Instead, I saw my parents sitting in the fourth row, in front of Fred and Hermione. Dad was grinning ear to ear while mom had the camera out.

I led Sam to the mic, placed at the centre of the stage and ruffled her hair, "You got this."

She blinked a little fast and smiled, her unfocused eyes seemed to stare at the mic in her hand. I walked to the piano and sat down on the bench. I inhaled slowly, placed my fingers on the keys and started playing.

" _If you're not the one for me_

 _Then how come I can bring you to your knees?_

 _If you're not the one for me_

 _Why do I hate the idea of being free?_

 _And if I'm not the one for you_

 _You've gotta stop holding me the way you do_

 _Oh, honey, if I'm not the one for you_

 _Why have we been through what we have been through?-"_

* * *

The show was a success.

After the Pussycats' performance, it was Archie's turn. After leaving Sam in the audience, with Reggie, I ran back to the backstage, where I saw Veronica speaking with Archie. I waited for them to finish and soon, Veronica walked towards me.

"Max, you and Sam were great!" She exclaimed, hugging me, "We need to perform together someday."

"Definitely." I grinned, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a chat with Ginger McGee over there."

Ronnie smiled and left.

Archie was sweating nervously as the props team changed the stage setting. I made my way to him, hooking my arms around his.

"Wipe that sweat off, Archibald."

"I'm scared out of my wits. I've never performed in front of an audience." He looked at me, his dark eyes were tense.

"So was Sam, but we nailed it. Besides, you're an amazing singer. You can do it, okay? I don't know why I'm giving you a peptalk when Ronnie already did my work for me." I wiggled my eyebrows at him, "Now, go. It's your time to shine." And I gently pushed him onto the stage.

He gingerly (Ha! Gingerly!) sat down on the stool and adjust the mic. I could hear some of the jocks sniggering and Sam loudly yelling "Shut the hell up, Mason! Or I'll beat you to death with my three inch heels!"

Archie managed to smile a little at this as the crowd laughed. I could imagine poor Moose shrinking in his seat in embarrassment. The red-head turned his head a little towards me and I sent him two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

He cleared his throat, held his guitar firmly and began to sing.

Don't tell her I said this, but Archie was better than Sam. Hell, he was better than anyone I had heard perform live. He had improved so much since the beginning that I couldn't believe it was him who sat on the stage. Archie Andrews, the lanky ginger who had shrunk away from every play because he had stage fright, was now performing in front of a crowd.

He was fantastic.

I clasped my hands together in front of me and held them against my mouth as I watched proudly.

As his song ended, the audience broke into uproar as everyone cheered and clapped. I heard Sam saying "Encore! Encore!"

Archie stood up and took a bow. I stepped back a little as he neared me, face glowing with joy. The two of us exploded with laughter as we threw our arms around each other.

"I'm so, _so_ proud of you, Archie Andrews. You were wonderful." I buried my face in his neck as he pressed his cheek against my hair.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Lis."

* * *

 **Did anyone else imagine Fred Weasley and Hermione Granger when I wrote 'Fred and Hermione'? Cuz I did xD**

 **Sorry about the last chapter. For y'know...the pent up frustration and stuff...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Not really. It was fun, reading your reactions. I laughed so much. Sometimes I feel that I'm a sadist then I realize that I actually am a sadist. When it comes to writing anyway.**

 **No Jughead in this chapter. But there will be. Soon :) :) :)**

 **Ooooh, by the way, a friend and I were thinking of Winona Ryder from the early 90s or Christina Grimme as Max's face claim. Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Leave a review? Please? *puppy face***


	31. Max Learns How to Drive(?)

***gasp* What is this? An update?**

 **Naw, this is just a bonus chapter that I wrote. One of my friends asked me to do this chapter and I was pretty excited to write it because I had a lot of ideas. None of the canon characters are included in this chapter. It's just a 'unusual day in the Pierce household' sort of thing. There are mentions of Archie and Fred.**

 **Also, I'm planning on doing an 'ask-a-character' chapter soon. It'll be different on both Wattpad and Ffn. I'm accepting questions even for the canon characters. So if there's anything you guys want to ask or want to know, send me an IM or leave it in a review!**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

* * *

Just like every weekend, mom made us run early in the morning today. Only, after running, she declared that she and dad would be teaching me how to drive.

Dad raised his hand, wheezing on the couch, "I…don't *wheeze* remember this decision *sharp intake of breath* being taken by…us."

" _You_ have been putting it off." Mom countered, crossing her arms, staring at dad's pathetically slouched form, "However, it is about time she learns. We can't drive her everywhere. She's almost sixteen. We can't baby her anymore."

"But I don't want to learn." I whined, slumped next to dad, "I'm too tired to move. I want to sleep. I like being a privileged brat with someone chauffeuring me around the town."

"Well, suck it up, _princess._ "

"Something tells me you used the word 'princess' as an insult."

Dad clutched his chest, "So much running. I have seen death. Heart hurts. My end….is near."

Mom and I stared at him as he continued being melodramatic. Most of the times, I'm embarrassed by the way he exaggerates things.

"Edmund," Mom used her 'my word is final' voice, "Get up and get your keys. _Now._ "

"But-"

"I will break each and every one of your Star Trek-"

"-You mean Star Wars-"

"-CDs if you do not move."

Dejectedly, he stood up and sluggishly moved towards the front door. I heard the jiggling of keys and the closing of the door. Mom looked at me, expectedly.

"Fine." I huffed and followed her out, mumbling, "Dragon lady."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

We joined dad as he stood, leaning against his red Fiat Punto, which had been parked conveniently on the side of the road.

"I don't get why we have to use _my_ car to teach her." He crossed him arms, pouting at mom who walked past him, swiping his keys from the palm of his hand and threw them at me.

Me, being me, failed to catch them and the metal hit me square in the face. Clutching my nose, I bent down to pick the keys up. Dad was shaking with laughter while mom sighed exasperatedly.

"It's too early for this shit." I grumbled, rubbing the bridge of my nose, where the keychain had hit me.

"Get in the car, Phyllis." Mom stood by the passenger seat, motioning me to hurry.

Due to force of habit, after unlocking the car I opened the door to the backseat. Dad snickered.

"You're the one driving, Max." And, acting as if I had opened the door for him, he climbed in and shut it after him.

Begrudgingly, Mom and I climbed into the front.

"You know," Mom began, "most girls your age get excited when they start learning how to drive." She gave me a pointed look.

"Excited, my foot." Dad interjects, "You're talking to someone whose life revolves around a piano and spectacled anime men."

I twisted myself in my seat to face him, "That's not true! Kakashi doesn't wear glasses but I'd marry him in a heartbeat. Same goes for Jean."

"Seatbelt, Phyllis."

" _Stop calling me Phyllis, mom!_ "

"It's your _name_." She stresses, giving me a weirded out glance.

I pulled at the seatbelt until it got stuck, "Hey, I think this thing is jammed or something." I continued to tug at it.

"That-that's enough, Max." She took the anchor plate from my hand and inserted it in the buckle.

"Is the seatbelt falling short?" Dad drawled, sarcastically.

Mom sighed, "Ed."

"Forget about that, you put yours on first, Viv."

Paying no attention to him, she instructed me to hold the steering wheel. I put both my hands on the topside arch of the wheel.

"Hands will be in the position of ten and two, sweetheart." She adjusted my hold, "According to the clock."

"Okay." I tightened my grip.

"Ease up, Bautista. By the way you're holding it, you'll leave imprints on my steering wheel."

"Mom, tell dad to be quiet."

I could tell that mom was getting agitated, but she inhaled deeply and regained her calm look as she exhaled, "Eyes on the road, Max. Adjust your seat if you can't see properly."

I stretched myself to see in front of me, but my vision was restricted till the hood, "I can see, like, the leftside but I can't see anything on the right. Can't we just-" Feeling the bottom of the seat, I tried to shift it sideways.

"It's like you're sitting in a car for the first time."

"I'm just saying, dad, that if the steering was in the middle, it would've been a tad bit easier."

"I'm so ashamed that my daughter is spewing out such demented logic."

"Oi."

"Max," Mom completely ignored our argument, "now adjust your rearview mirror."

"How do I do that?"

"With your hands."

"Ed, shut up."

"Don't blame me, honey. I'm hungry, my car is in danger and someone's being too stupid."

I quietly fiddled with the mirror until I was satisfied.

"Are you comfortable in the seat?" Mom asked.

I tugged at the seatbelt again, "This thing is suffocating. Can't I just drive without it?"

"And get smashed into a pancake?" Mom snapped, "No."

"What about the seat? Can we change its height?"

"Max, it's a car. Not a bicycle."

Dad snorted, "Seatbelt is suffocating. Steering should be in the middle. Why don't you just sit on top of the car, on the roof? Airy and spacey, it'll be. And when the car starts moving, maybe you'll-" He mimed me falling off the car.

"Dad! Mom, dad's being a jerk to me."

"Edmund, for the love of God, shut up. Right, now there are three pedals. Accelerator, brake and clut-"

"Clutch, brake and accelerator, you mean. Don't confuse her any further, Vivien. She's already Evel Knievel, your daughter."

"Evel Knievel drove a motorcycle. And what do you mean, ' _your daughter_ '. As far as I know, you helped create her-"

"Mom, can we just-"

"It's C-B-A, Vivien."

"-You don't even try to help me teach her and now you have the gall to tell me that I'm wrong? I'll teach her however I want. Even if it's A-B-C."

"C-B-A!"

"I'm teaching her right to left."

"It's not Urdu!"

"Where did Urdu come from in this conversation?"

"Shut up!" I yelled, honking loudly.

Mom pressed her palms to her face, trying to regularize her breathing while dad grumbled and mumbled under his breath.

"I think it's gonna rain today," I put my cheek against the window, looking at the sky, "I'm not trying my hand at driving if it rains. I might get us all killed."

"How many gears are there, Max?" Mom asked.

"….three?"

"There's a reverse gear too." Dad chimed from the back.

In the next fifteen minutes, mom showed me the different gear positions (Technically, she said "I'm going to show you different positions." Dad and I choked on our spit.), and dad made offhanded comments here and there.

"Good. Now, start the car, press the clutch, bring the gear from neutral to drive and then release it slowly." Mom instructed.

I put the keys in ignition, pressed the clutch pedal with my foot and switched from neutral to drive. Then, on purpose, I slowly lifted my palm slowly from the shift lever.

"Well done!" Dad clapped, "Fantastic. Very good. I'm so proud."

Mom stared at me as if I was the stupidest thing to exist on the planet, "Clutch. I meant the clutch. Good heavens."

I removed my foot from the clutch and the car jerked forward. Dad hit the headrest of my seat.

"Oye, you. Get out right now." He panicked and turned to mom, "That's enough driving for one day. She can't do it. She'll get my car killed."

Mom snapped at him, "Maybe if you would've taken the initiative to teach her, we wouldn't have been here! Instead, you conveniently forgot just like the way you forgot her in Disneyland."

" _I forgot her? I did?_ "

"Mom, dad, quiet p-"

"I was excited about the Carousel. And where were you? Taking joyrides on the rollercoasters. Besides, it's not my fault. I did tell Max to stay there."

" _She was eight!_ "

"-And what about you? You forgot me at the gas station!"

"Edmund, that was years ago!"

"Dad, stop being-"

"Your mother realized half an hour later that I was missing, Max! I ran after her on the highway. The gas station attendant took pity on me and let me sit next to him, making small talk."

They continued to argue back and forth as I yelled at them to stay quiet.

"Fine," I unbuckled my seatbelt, and switched off the engine "I'm leaving. Have fun bickering like children." Opening the door, I stepped out when my parents started apologizing, "Jesus Christ, you are the weirdest set of parents ever."

"It's not my fault your father needs to be tested for Alzheimer's."

"It's you who needs to be tested."

"Children, please." I groaned, "How the hell did you even get married?" I pressed my cheek against the glass window, "Oh, look. It's raining now. Driving lessons cancelled."

Mom started mumbling under her breath, "..Should've listened to Fred….biggest mistake of my life…"

"Oh? And Fred always won the 'Cousin of the Year', didn't he?" Dad stuck out his tongue at her.

"What?" I whipped my head towards him, "Cousin?"

"Your mother and Fred Andrews are cousins." He said.

Mom turned to me and sighed, "Our dads were cousins. I thought you knew."

Slapping my palms to my face, I voiced my horror, "No! I didn't know. Holy shit, that makes Archie my cousin too?"

"Yep."

"Oh my god, that kiss was incest!" I wailed, hitting my fists on the steering wheel.

Dad grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me back harshly, "What do you mean? No, no, no. I won't allow it. You're not supposed to be with him."

"Yuck, dad, no! That was never my intention. I don't like him like that. It was an accident. Ugh, I feel so disgusted. My mouth is itchy now." I shuddered.

"Stop overreacting, you two." Mom rubbed her temples tiredly.

"Might I remind you that it was you two who were being melodramatic a while ago." I retorted, "Really, though. Cousins? This is the first time I'm hearing about it."

"You used to run around calling him 'Uncle Fred'!"

"I thought it was a joke!"

"What are you talking about, you and Archie doing the dirty deed?"

"Dad! We kissed by accident and were both equally grossed out. Can you please stop?"

Mom leaned her head against the door, looking out the window, "I'm never teaching you how to drive."

"Too right you are, dear."

" _Shut up, Edmund._ "


	32. Chapter 31

I tried not to feel disappointed when I realised that Jughead wasn't there for the show. He turned up as everyone began to leave, _with Betty._

"Sam, sweetheart, you were so good!" Mom hugged the brunette, who looked immensely proud of herself.

"I know, Vivien. I was so sure and confident about myself. In fact, I had to calm down Max. She was almost crying."

I crossed my arms at this, "Sam, not one of them is true."

My parents laughed and dad ruffled my hair.

"Max?"

I spun around to see a drenched Jughead, and Betty lingering a few feet away from him. He had a guilty look on his face.

"I'll see you guys outside." I told my parents, who nodded in response and left, with Sam trailing after them. I turned to Jughead, "You'll catch a cold like that, Jughead."

"I'm sorry." He said, "I said that I'd be here and I wasn't."

I shrugged, "It's okay. Probably not the last time I'll perform. So…"

Betty walked up to us and I tried not to glare at her.

"Max, we all need to talk. Where are Archie and Veronica?"

"Um…Veronica went home. Archie…must be with his new girlfriend." I said, looking around.

The blonde looked a little taken aback, "Girlfriend?"

"Let me guess," Jughead said, "Valerie?"

"How'd you know?" I asked, smoothening the creases on the front of my dress.

"He has a thing for girls who tutor him." He replied, "Listen," He lowered his voice and Betty stepped closer to us, "Let's go talk in the hallway."

The hallway was empty since everyone was using the other exit. Yet, when Betty spoke, it wasn't more than a whisper.

"We found Jason's car."

I scrunched up my face in confusion, "What car?"

" _The_ car." Slowly, with each word, her volume increased, "That he and Polly were gonna use to get away. It has so much of evidence. It could help solve the-"

"I'm afraid that's gonna be a little difficult, Ms. Cooper." Sheriff Keller's voice echoed in the hallway. We turned to see him make his way towards us, "The vehicle was on fire by the time we reached. We suspect that someone torched it to hide their tracks."

Jughead closed his eyes tightly and Betty clenched her fists. She suddenly exclaimed, "Polly!" and took off running.

Jughead and I exchanged looks, completely forgetting that the sheriff was standing in front of us.

"Let's go!" I said and we followed Betty out the school and towards the local bus stand in the pouring rain. It took us fifteen minutes to reach the place where they were keeping Polly. ' _Sisters of Quiet Mercy_ ' I read, ' _Home for…Troubled Yout- what the fuck? It actually looks like a rehab.'_

"Hurry, Max." Betty yelled/whispered as she held the door open.

We were dripping wet as we quietly ran through the empty, eerie halls. I tried not to slip in my flats, mentally thanking myself for not wearing heels. Not that I owned a proper pair.

"Here," The blonde said, opening one of the doors.

The rain was coming down in torrents and lightening flashed.

Polly's room was empty. But the window was broken, as if someone had violently thrown something at it. We entered cautiously, making our way towards the window.

"There's blood." I pointed out and Betty's expression turned to one of horror. The three of us peered out of the window but there was nothing but darkness. And woods.

I clung to Jughead's arm, shivering from the cold. I cursed myself to leave without my coat as the chill hit my bare shoulders.

"Should we look for her?" I asked and Jughead shook his head, wet hair plastered to his forehead.

"There's no point."

"So what now?" I turned to Betty, who looked close to tears.

"Now, we go back. Before the staff finds us."

* * *

We waited until the rain turned into a drizzle and walked back. Jughead and I helped Betty sneak back into her room and then quietly made our way to the front porch of my home.

"Come on in. If you stay outside like that, you'll definitely fall sick." I said, turning to Jughead who wordlessly nodded.

Dad and mom were home, waiting for me in the living room as we entered.

"Max, where were y- My God, you two look like drowned cats." Dad exclaimed.

"Leave your shoes near the door, for the love of God!" Mom screeched, standing up. "Don't you walk on the carpet, Phyllis. No, Juggie- don't sit on the couch, either!"

I threw her an exasperated look.

"Ed, go and get them some towels. Max, dry off yourself before you go to your room. Jughead, you head to the bathroom. I might have some clothes for you. Did you eat anything? I think we have microwavable pizza or something."

"Caaatch!" Dad called, flinging a towel each at our faces that we narrowly caught.

I slipped out of my flats as Jughead removed his shoes, socks and his beanie. I grumbled to myself, wiping the cotton towel over my bare arms and shoulders. Jughead was trying to dry his hair when mom took over.

"No, honey, not like that." She snatched the towel away from him and began to pat his face first.

I smiled to myself as he looked helplessly towards me. By the time mom was finished, his hair was standing up in every direction. Stifling a laugh, I made my way to my room, eager to change out of the damp dress.

Ten minute later, Jug and I sat on the couch, opposite to my parents. I was wearing my SpongeBob pyjamas. Jug was wearing one of his old shirts and loose black pants that he had left behind a long time ago. He looked a little out of character, wearing them.

Mom's gaze bore into mine as she asked, "So, where have you two been?"

"Uh…"I trailed off, looking at Jughead who gave me look, "Well…you see…"

"Betty and I went to see Polly only to find a few more dark and dirty secrets." He said, "Riverdale is not the place we once thought it was."

"It never was, to begin with, darling." My mom said, sadly, "We thought things would change overtime. But it didn't."

"Polly Cooper is pregnant with Jason Blossom's kid." I blurted.

"Have some tact, Max."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Not everyone can talk as dramatically as you, Jughead."

"Well, then. There's a clusterfuck of disasters heading our way." Dad said, shifting in his seat.

" _Edmund!_ What have I said about swearing?"

"To…not do it in front of the kids?"

"Anyway," I cut in, "Jug and Betty found the car which held evidence-"

"-a lot of evidence." Jughead interrupted.

"-which could've been used to solve the murder." I finished.

"Jesus fucking Christ, what is wrong with you kids?" Mom cursed in disbelief.

"Now who's swearing?"

"Shut up, Edmund. Don't you guys have school? Don't you need to study and pass some bloody tests and _not play fucking Super Sleuths?_ "

"I was definitely dragged into this Jason Blossom mess by one Jughead Jones. I'm too lazy to investigate willingly." I confessed.

"Look at you, using words like 'investigate'." She groaned, "You're going to get hurt, the two of you. It's dangerous to fuck around anything involving the Blossoms."

"We're in too deep, Vivien," Jughead said, glumly, "We know things and-"

"Jughead, son," Dad sighed, "It's not too late to stop snooping. You do not want to get involved-"

"Is it because of your connection with the Southside Serpents?" Mom asked calmly, "Is that why you think you're involved in this? Because you think they had a part to play in everything that's happened?

" _What?_ " I whipped my head to face him, shell shocked, "You're a Ser-"

"Not him." Dad rubbed his temple, "His dad. FP has been a Serpent a long time."

Jughead lowered his head in shame, sniffing. He didn't say anything and refused to meet my eyes.

I laced my hand with his, "That doesn't change anything, okay?"

"His choices don't and shouldn't affect the person you are, Jughead." Mom said, "You're a good kid with an asshole for a father-"

" _Mom!_ "

"-but believe me when I say that your father loves you."

Jughead frowned deeply and looked at her, "I'd like to accept that, Vivien. But-"

" _No,_ Jughead." She asserts, "I have known FP for a long time and I have faith that he would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. If anything, he would drag himself down into the mud to make sure that you are safe."

He remained quiet, pondering over her words.

"I think that's enough adventure for one day," Dad announced, standing up, "Jug, why don't you sleep in the guest room for tonight? It's too late for you to go home. Max, go straight to bed, got it?"

"Thanks, Ed."

"Got it, dad."

"By the way, Viv, honey. That's ten bucks in the swear jar from you."

* * *

It was late at night when Jughead knocked on my bedroom door. I had been lying awake because of the drizzle turning into a thunderstorm. Hopping out of my bed, I switched on the lights and opened the door to see Jughead with his back towards me.

"…What?"

"Please tell me you're decent."

"If you're talking about my clothes, then I have a jumper and two pairs of pants on because its fricking cold and my feet are freezing."

He promptly turned and walked into my room, seating himself on the foot of my bed. I sat next to him, trying not to make a big deal about the fact that we were sitting really close.

"Your face looks," I gestured at his hair, "oddly empty without your hat. Did you have a nightmare? Is that why you can't sleep?"

Jughead nervously eyed me, "It's…about my dad…being a Serpent."

"Oh." I shifted so that my back was against the wall and crossed my legs, "Well, like I said, it doesn't change anything."

"That's the issue." He stressed, "It does change things. My dad is a Serpent and he has probably done horrible stuff-"

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do. I do know some of the things he has done." He leaned back on his arms and sighed heavily, "And-and I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want _you_ to k-"

"Why?" I frowned at him.

"Becau- You know what everyone in this town thinks about them. If you…or Archie or Betty had come to find out that-"

Crossing my arms, I scoff at him, "You thought that we'd, what, stop talking to you? Because your dad is a Serpent and we're five year olds who don't realize that you are not your dad? Because he's done _horrible_ stuff, then that must mean you're a born criminal too?"

Jughead winced harshly, "I…"

Before I could register anything, I had smacked him across his face. Not too harshly but enough to hurt him a little.

"I thought you were really smart and all," I glared at his surprised face, "But you're actually an idiot."

"Lis-"

I cut him off by embracing him, throwing him off balance. Burying my face in the crook of his neck, I grumbled, "I'm not going to leave you because of what your dad does. Ever. Neither is Archie. Or Betty. We're friends with you because of who you are as an individual." I pull back, my hands on his shoulders, "You're my best friend and I'd do anything for you." After a pause, I added, "Except for murder. Because murder is wrong and I faint at the sight of blood."

Jughead chuckles dryly, "I set our elementary school on fire, if you don't remember."

"You're too much of a softie to pull something like that. I know it was an accident."

"I got sent to Juvie-"

"Are you trying to get rid of me? Because that's not working." Sighing, I held his hands in mine, "Forsythe, as much as it pains me to say, you cannot get rid of me that easily."

The corner of his eyes crinkled and he smiled, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For lending me your crayons in preschool."

"Is that how we became friends? Huh, I don't even remember how we met."

"What, did you think you woke up one day and poof! Betty, Archie, Jughead and Max – best friends forever?"

"…Kinda."

"Unbelievable."

"…"

"Also, no offence, but could you let go of my hands? They're freezing."

* * *

 **Guys! I'm celebrating the fact that I got my first negative comment yesterday. It's kinda funny to me. xD** **I mean, I'm sorry to the anon because you found my story boring. I sound like a prat, laughing about the flame but I promise I'll work on the fic.**

 **Anyway, moving on.**

 **SomebodyWhoCares : I'm sorry, I didn't really understand what you asked. Were you asking for the face claims? If so, then for Edmund, it's Benedict Cumberbatch. For Vivien, it's Lana Parilla. And for Max, I'm still wondering whether I should stick with Winona Ryder from the 90s.**

 **I have been stuck on Chapter 36 since forever. The words just won't fit right. Argh, it's so frustrating. I have everything planned out till chapter 40 but I need the willpower to sit and type out everything. So, instead of working on any of my stories, I've been binge-watching anime. Hehehe...**

 **Like always, thank you for reading!**

 **Stay happy! ^-^**


	33. Chapter 32

For the next one week, I woke up at 5 and snuck into school to use the Music room. I wasn't technically allowed to be in school before it actually started. I needed permission with proper reasons from Weatherbee. I was too tired to lie to him. Thankfully, no one found out and I could play the pieces in peace.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Anyway, my schedule was pretty fucked up. After spending two and half hours in the Music room, I'd go to class where I'd try my level best to not fall asleep. Maybe if I felt like it, I'd have lunch with the gang or I would skip it and sleep in the student lounge. I'd go back home, study for a while, skip dinner occasionally and then stay up all night listening to BTS or watching anime.

Today was one of the days when everything was extremely noisy. It was so noisy that I was pissed off. The hallway was empty, obviously. There wasn't a soul around.

 _Then why is it so fucking noisy?_

I left the music hall because I couldn't play anything. Roaming around the West Wing, I came across the most unusual sight ever.

" _What the fuck?_ " I whispered as Archie and Jughead stood outside a closet which was situated under the stairs. I crept up behind them to peep into the small room when-

 _Is that Jughead's jacket? And is that a fucking sleeping bag!?_

"You've been living _here_?" I shrieked, making the boys jump.

"That is the second time I've almost had a heart attack today, and it's not even 7." Jughead groaned, "What are you doing here, Max?"

"Forget about me," I snapped, "What are _you_ doing here? Why aren't you home?"

Archie stood next to me, grasping my shoulder after he had finished examining the closet, "That's what I'd like to know, too."

Jughead bit the inside of his cheek and then swiped Archie's arm off of me, separated us and walked past us. We turned to look at him, confused.

"Juggie," I tried to speak calmly, "How long have you been living here?"

"Well, since they shut down the drive-in." Seeing our confused looks, he explained, "That's where I was living before."

"Why the hell are you not living at home?" Archie asked.

"The truth is" Jughead said, "Things aren't… good at home."

"With… your dad?" I hesitated.

"Yeah…He kind of fell off the wagon." He looked at Archie, "After your dad fired him, to tell you the truth. Hasn't had a job since. He keeps promising that he's gonna get his act together, but my mom couldn't take that rollercoaster anymore, so she grabbed Jellybean and went to live with our grandparents."

The bell rang suddenly. I turned to see the hallway, which was empty not few moments ago, now swarming with kids.

"Come on." Jughead gestures us to leave the closet.

The three of us start walking down the hall.

"God, Jug, why didn't you tell me?" Archie exclaims, hurt prominent in his voice, "And where does your dad think you are?"

"He thinks I'm couch-surfing." Was the reply.

"Well, screw that. Live with me." The redhead offered.

I was too pissed to say anything.

"This is temporary, guys." Jug replied, "I'm going to figure something out. Just…don't tell anyone."

"Jug, it doesn't matter to the others where you live," Archie explained, "Well, except for Veronica. She's gonna be a snob about it."

"Yeah…all the same. Don't tell anyone."

Archie nodded and said something about wanting to talk to Veronica and left. Jughead was looking at me, embarrassed while I was downright furious with him.

"Lis, I-"

" _Why didn't you tell me?_ "

"Because I didn't want you to know?" He lamely replied. At his tone, all my anger melted away.

I crossed my arms, "Yeah, no shit, genius. Were you _embarrassed_ by what I would've said?" Taking his silence as an answer, I tiredly rubbed my eyes with my palms, "Jughead, you _moron_." I took his hand in mine and smiled at him, "You thought I'd think less of you if I found out you stayed here? How many times should I tell you to convince you that I'd still feel the same way? If anything, I'm mad at myself for not knowing what you were- _are_ going through."

"I'm gonna be fine, Max." He stepped a little closer to me, and my breath hitched.

"Live with me." I blurted out, "Or-or take up Archie's offer and stay with him."

Jughead let go of my hand and placed his on my head, ruffling my hair in the process, "Your hair has gotten longer."

"That has got nothing to do with-"

"It's time for class."

"Don't walk away from m-"

"I can and I am!"

"Jughead Jones! Come back right now!"

* * *

The Student's Lounge was quite crowded today. That didn't stop us from occupying the couches and talking about stuff that _technically_ we were supposed to talk about in secret. Betty and Jughead were filling in about Polly and the baby as I sat in between them (because of my pettiness but let's not talk about that).

"They don't want anyone to know that she ran away, or about her _shameful_ condition." The blonde said, in a tight tone.

"Please." Veronica scoffed, "What decade is this?"

"Also, since she knew where Jason's getaway car was, they're afraid people might think that she burned it," Betty continued, "and that if she did-"

"She could be the murderer," Jughead cut in, "trying to cover her tracks."

"Who did burn the car, then?" Archie asked flatly, sitting next to Veronica on a couch.

"Someone could have followed you two." I said, "Torched it right after you left to find Sherriff? That's the most probable scenario."

"Oh, my God." Veronica exclaimed, a little mortified, "Honestly, guys, we should just move."

"I wish." I grumbled.

"Guys, what if Polly's really hurt?" The blonde lowered her eyes in worrying as her voice quivered, "What if whoever killed Jason is coming after her next?" She sighed as I rubbed her forearm.

"Betty," Archie said, "even though your parents don't want to, maybe… you should go to the police."

"Second it." Kevin, who had been quiet up till now, spoke up, "We can talk to my dad together about how he has to be discreet."

"No offense, Kev," Jughead frowned, "but your dad answers to a higher authority than God, the _Blossoms_." Kevin looked away at this, "They're the first people that he would tell."

"And if there's anyone to keep this a secret from, it's the Blossoms." Betty contributed, "They'd twist it around and go after Polly out of spite."

"How can we help?" Ronnie asked, "Tell us, B, and we'll do it."

My fingers curled around the sleeve of Jughead's flannel, "Somehow, I have a bad feeling that they're going to know no matter what." I murmured under my breath.

* * *

"Lopez! I'm going to rip your hair off and shove it so far up your-"

"Max, no!" Jughead tried to hold me back as I aggressively yelled at the girl, who looked terrified for a moment.

Sam had informed me and Jughead in passing that Cheryl spread the word about Polly being suspected of Jason's murder. Only, Cheryl was on the verge of launching a man-hunt for her. I had rushed to the gym to find Ginger walking out, strutting towards me in her River Vixen uniform, clueless about my rage.

"You stupid snitch." I sneered at her.

Her uncomfortably perfect eyebrow creased and she looked at me as if she smelt something foul, "I did what I had to. Your friend knows where the _murderer_ of my best friend's brother is."

"In case it escaped you, Ginger," Jughead grasped my arm, tugging me back a little, "Polly is _missing._ I really hope you know what the word 'missing' means in this context."

"Butt out, Serpent Spawn." Ginger hissed at him.

"I won't tolerate you throwing such insults at him. So if I were you, I'd watch my tongue." I threatened her, shrugging off Jughead's hand. "Don't speak of things you know nothing about."

"Polly Cooper is a murdere-"

" _Polly Cooper is as much a victim as Jason Blossom is_." I spat at her, "Like I said, don't speak of things you don't know about. Half knowledge is really dangerous."

Ginger's lip curled into an ugly sneer, "Depressed bitch."

Something jolted inside me and I opened my mouth for a retort but not a sound came out. It occurred to me then that people had gathered around us and were watching us.

"I would never hit someone, much less a girl, until I'm provoked to do so" Jughead slowly spoke, putting emphasis on every word, "Unfortunately, that's not the case for you, Ginger, because I don't want to sully my hands touching someone like you."

The weight of his words hit me as I understood what he was trying to say.

"Let's leave, Max."

As the two of us turned and left, I could hear Ginger shrieking after us, "Serpent slut! You stay away from my brother, you hear me?"

Jughead all but dragged me out of the school building as he mumbled under his breath, "What were you thinking? Since when have you been so rash, Max?" His grip on my hand tightened and I realized that he was holding my hand, "She has those stupid jocks on her side. They could've hurt you."

"She tattled about-"

"That wasn't your problem."

I felt my heart drop at his tone and I stopped in the middle of the road and all but wrenched my palm out of his grip. He turned to look at me and sighed.

"Lis, I-"

"No, no," I interrupted him, "No, you're right. It wasn't my problem and I wasn't supposed to scream at Ginger like that. But," My breathing became heavy and my chest hurt, "Jughead, there's something wrong with me."

"What, no." Jughead gripped my shoulders and slid his palm up my neck, cupping my cheek, "Tha-that's not what I meant, Lis. I'm so-"

I placed my palm over his. My eyes were burning, "It's not what you said, Juggie. I-" I felt a knot in my throat, "Something hurts, okay. I cannot, for the life of me, explain what it is but it _fucking hurts._ " I pressed my face into his chest and felt him wrapping his arms around me. "I don't want any of this." I whimpered as he slowly weaved his fingers through my hair. "I can't _breathe._ I can't sleep. And-and I…you…you're…" I trailed off, inhaling his scent, trying to calm myself.

"I know, Lis, I know."

I gripped his shirt and he pulled me closer into him.

"No, you don't."

"I know more than you think."

* * *

 **Aaaahh, have I mentioned that I love reading your reviews? I really, _really_ do. It's the highlight of my day. You guys leave reviews like "Max and Jughead should get together ASAP or I'll lose my shit" and I sit here like "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA lolololol"**

 **Max may seem a little overdramatic in the last scene but it'll all make sense in later chapters. Without giving much away, I'll just say that she's going through dark times and even darker times are yet to come. I'm so excited. I love torturing my characters. It's so...satisfying. Lol, such a sadist thing to say.**

 **Thanks for reading! Leave a review? Please?**

 **Love you all!**


	34. Chapter 33

"Okay," Betty clapped her gloved hands together, "the Sisters of Quiet Mercy are due north." She pointed behind us, "The getaway car was west," She points to our right, "on the Old Route 40.

"The closest bus station is east, headed towards Sweetwater." Jughead nodded towards us, "If Polly wanted to leave Riverdale without anyone seeing her, she probably would've left through-

"-Right here." The blonde next to him gestured at the trees, "Evergreen Forest."

We had gathered as many people as we could in the forest to help look for Polly. My parents weren't here. They had some work to attend to. It was Betty and Jughead who had come up with the idea that Polly would be hiding out somewhere in the forest.

Jughead and I walked behind Archie and Betty as the rest spread out, calling Polly's name as loudly as they could.

"Hey," Jughead gripped my hand and I got startled because of how cold it was, "You okay now?"

I nodded, nervously lacing our fingers together, "I'm…sorry…for my outburst yesterday. I'm at the extremes. Either I'm too sad or too angry."

"So, you're not happy right now?"

 _Was I?_

"No, no. I am…I think. Am I supposed to be?" I looked at him while carefully stepping over a large rock, "With Polly missing? Is that okay?"

"There's nothing wrong with being worried and happy at the same time." Jughead pointed out, steadying me as I almost slipped over mud.

"Yeah, I'm happy then." I scratched the back of my neck with my free hand.

He snickered a little, "Liar."

"I'm not lying!"

"I know when you're lying, Max."

" _How do you always know when I'm lying?_ " I asked, exasperated, "Happy how, anyway?"

"Not heavy-hearted."

"The fuck does that even mean?" I grumbled under my breath as Jughead chuckled again. "How are things with your dad?" I asked, freeing my hand from his grip and pushing aside a branch.

Jughead sniffed and frowned, "Mr. Andrews offered dad his job back. He doesn't want to take it."

I rubbed my hands together, "I think he'll change his mind soon. Fuck, it's so cold. My fingers are freezing."

"Yeah, it'll be a miracle if he changes his mind."

I patted his back and turned my head to see Sam walking with Veronica and Kevin. They were in deep conversation and Ronnie pointed at Reggie while talking Sam and she shrugged and grinned in response.

"No offense, but why is Sam here?" Jughead peered at the brunette.

I chuckled, "Something about her voice being melodious enough to attract Polly?" I laughed even more at Jughead reaction as he scoffed and made a face.

We walked deeper into the woods, calling for the lost girl. It had been hours and my feet were getting tired. I hated physically straining myself by walking so much. And to be honest, I felt like we were a large group of people out for a morning stroll in the forest. It wasn't long until we ran into the Blossoms. _They had dogs too._ They were dressed as if they were going horse riding. It took all of my willpower to not imagine Cheryl with a riding crop.

 _Ew, ew, ew. Cheryl with a riding crop. Ack, the image has been burned into my mind. Ew, ew, ew._

The two groups stood opposite to each other, with Sherriff Keller standing at a distance, and I spotted Ginger standing behind Penelope Blossom, scowling at me. To my absolute surprise, Christopher stood next to her, wearing his black, large-framed glass. My mouth fell open as I made the connection.

 _Holy shit, Christopher is Ginger's cousin! The one she screamed at me to stay away from!_

He saw me and grinned, lifting his hand in greeting. I waved back, still in a daze with my mouth open and eyes narrowed is disbelief. I might've imagined it, but I felt Jughead move closer to me. Archie witnessed the exchange between Christopher and me, and turned his head to look at me. I gestured that I'd tell him later.

"Alice Cooper," Penelope spoke, in a voice that had always irritated me and made my skin itch, "Where is she? Where's Polly?"

Behind her, Christopher rolled his eyes and I coughed behind my fist.

 _Yeah, I'd like to know too._

"You think if I knew that, I'd be out here with the _mosquitoes_?" Alice replied in disbelief.

 _Us too, Momma Cooper._

"Face facts, mommy dearest," Cheryl said, in her _dulcet_ tone, "Polly killed Jason."

"She escaped from the asylum once," Clifford Blossom added, "Who's to say she didn't before, say, the day Jason got murdered?"

"The noose is tightening around your murdering daughter's neck." Mrs. Blossom hissed, "I know it, Sheriff Keller knows it-"

"Hold on now." Sherriff Keller disagreed.

"-And I promise you, when we find her, and we _will_ find her, the entire town of Riverdale will know, too."

"Great," I muttered, "As if Alice Cooper wasn't enough, we have two psycho moms now."

Archie jabbed his elbow in my ribs to shut me up.

"Three, if you count mine." I added, sticking out my tongue at him to which he rolled his eyes.

A few more threats were exchanged and after Alice announced that there was only so much stupidity that she could handle in a day, the parties dispersed and the search was called off.

Out of curiosity, I approached Christopher who had stayed behind.

"Heard things about you from Ging." The brunet smirked, "Wasn't very nice what she said."

"Yeah, and I have a lot to say about your _cousin_ too." I crossed my arms.

"I don't care," He shrugged, "Whatever happened between you two stays between you. I have and want no say in this."

"She force you to come?" I asked.

"Yep. Why else would I wake up early to look for a person I know nothing of? I don't even know who this Jason guy is." He titled his head to look behind me, "What about you? Your boyfriend dragged you?"

Blood rushed to my cheeks and despite the cold, my ears felt uncomfortably hot, "Okay, first. He's not my boyfriend. Second, Polly is my best friend's sister."

"Aah, is that so." Christopher shoved his hands in his dark coat pocket and stood on his toes for a moment, swinging, "It was actually quite stupid to look for her in the forest."

I frowned, "Why?"

I knew he was right. A little.

"She wouldn't hide out in a _forest_ of all places during this weather. As far as I know, except for the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, there are no buildings to act as shelter. And since the SQM has a strict 'no personal electronics' rule, Miss Cooper doesn't have a cell phone and hence cannot contact anyone. I'm guessing that she has no money, either. So the best bet is that she's somewhere in town-Riverdale, I mean- and probably hiding right under your noses."

I gaped at him, "Holy shit, Sherlock. That makes sense."

He smugly pushed his glasses up his nose, "If you were half as smart as I expected you to be, you would've figured it out. But of course, you're not. Pleb."

"Yeah, well, I had a lot of other shit to think about." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Real mature."

"You shut up."

"Hey, Max!" I turned to see Archie waving at me, from a distance with Jughead and Veronica, "You coming?"

"In a minute. You guys go ahead." I replied and faced Christopher again, "Seriously, though. Ginger Lopez?"

"Hey, I can't help it, okay?" He spread his arms, "It's not my fault our mothers are sisters. I'm not too fond of her either."

I tsked and patted his arm.

"How long are you here for?"

"A week, I think. I've taken a few days off of school and piano practise. Somehow, I'm not too happy with the fact that I won't be able to practise, but there are no competitions coming up so yeah…"

"Ah.."

"That guy likes you, by the way." Christopher looked behind me again and I found Jughead standing alone, rubbing his palms together and blowing on them.

"Pssh, of course he does." I scoffed out of disbelief, "He's my best friend. I'd be worried if he didn't like me." It was all a cover, really. My heart was pounding and my mind started making up scenarios where Jughead did like me like that.

"You really are quiet dull, aren't you?"

I tried to punch his stomach but he caught my fist and laughed, his bright green eyes shining. He pulled me towards him while still grasping my fist and flicked the centre of my forehead with his other hand.

"Ow." I rubbed the spot. Who knew being flicked on the forehead hurt?

"Chrissy, we're gonna leave without you." We heard rustling and I leaned sideways to see Ginger walking towards us.

"Then leave without me, Ginger." The brunet looked over his shoulder, "I know my way back."

"I thought I told you to stay away from him," The dark-haired girl narrowed her eyes at me.

I glared back at her, "And since when have I started listening to what you say?"

Christopher sighed, rubbing his temple, "Just go, Ginger."

Ginger pouted at him and stormed off and her cousin muttered under his breath.

"Annoying twa- Ow!" he flicked my forehead again, stopping me from cursing, "Stop doing tha-Hey! Ow. It hurts!"

"Pipsqueak."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORT?"

"Pixie."

"YOU SHUT UP."

"Half pint."

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I'M TALLER THAN AN AVERAGE FEMALE."

"Insecure about your height, then?" He asked, smugly.

I stopped yelling immediately, "I was really short up until sixth grade, okay? I don't like being called short. No, don't open your mouth now. I'm not talking to you. Bye." I stomped back to where Jughead was standing, staring at me. I grabbed his arm and dragged him with me.

"See you soon, Munchkin!" Christopher called after me.

"Stop talking to me, _Chrissy_!" I screamed back as we walked further away from him.

"What was that all about?" Jughead asked casually, once I had calmed down and we were out of the forest. "The…flicking and everything."

"He's mean and rude and I don't like him." I huffed like a child, crossing my arms.

"Right…" he trailed off.

We walked in silence for a while, our shoulders touching occasionally. I yawned a couple of times which led to Jughead yawning too.

"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked, my cheeks stinging from the cold air.

"The Coopers, they're doing a public interview near the Church. Mrs. Cooper said that they'll reveal to the public that Polly is pregnant."

I blinked a couple of times, trying to digest what he had told me, "But…wasn't she the one who was worried about people finding out about Polly?"

"Knowing her, she has an ulterior motive." Jughead shrugged.

"Yeah…And-" I suddenly remembered what Christopher had said about Polly hiding within the town, "Let's hurry! I need to talk to Betty. It's important!"

"What is it?"

"Christopher." I said, "He said something. It was actually kinda smart. Not that I'll ever compliment that douchebag. Come on, let's go." I started walking faster and Jughead followed me after a pause.

"I'm sure it was smart." He mumbled.

* * *

 **I love Christopher more than I love Max or Sam or Ed or Vivien. Seriously. He's just so much fun to write, that intelligent but bipolar jerk.**

 **On the other hand, I'm panicking because I'm nowhere near finishing chapter 36. *sigh* There was once a time when I could type out 5 chapters in one day because that's how creative my mind was. Not that I'll ever abandon this story. Hopefully. I love writing this fic. It's...just that...I'm stuck...Fecking writer's block, I tell you.**

 **Please, please, please don't be a silent reader. Tell me how you felt about the chapter, about a character or about a scene. (You could give me ideas but shhh)**

 **(Also, I made two and a half new friends and I'm really happy about it.)**

 **Thanks for reading. Have an amazing weekend! Do your homework or get drunk, just make smart choices xD**


	35. Chapter 34

"There's been a swirl of rumours today about our daughter, Polly." Alice Cooper stood in front of the flashing cameras and horde of people, between her husband and her younger daughter.

Archie, Jughead and I stood together in the crowd, watching Alice as she spoke confidently. Behind her, Betty could barely look at anyone, fixing her gaze to the ground.

"And we're standing here to tell you that they're all false. Yes, Polly was seeking treatment in a private care facility, and she was under strict observation even at the time of Jason Blossom's death. When she found out about the murder, she was beside herself with grief."

I heard Cheryl scoff and leaned into Jughead, "I thought Polly didn't know about Jason's death until two days ago."

"She didn't." He whispered back.

"You see, my daughter, Polly, is pregnant with Jason Blossom's baby."

Everyone gasped and started whispering amongst each other. Mrs. Blossom clung to her husband's arm, asking if he knew anything about this. At a distance, I could see Cheryl walking away, wiping her eyes. Clifford Blossom left soon after.

"Polly wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone the father of her unborn child." Alice continued, "Polly, darling, if you're watching this," Her confident mask crumbled and tears streamed down her face. She was extremely distraught and these were no crocodile tears, "please come home."

The Cooper family answered a few more questions and midway, Betty excused herself. I followed her to the back of the church, telling the boys that I'll be back shortly. When I found her, her nose was red and she was weeping.

"You know," I said and she jolted, turning towards me, "Your face always turned red when you cried. Running nose and puffy eyes. Not cute at all."

She choked out a laugh, wiping away the last of her tears, "It's just-I don't know where she is, or what condition she's in. In her state, she-" Betty sniffed and I wrapped my arms around her.

"Umm…My friend, this guy I know…Christopher," I said, unsure, "He has this theory that Polly maybe somewhere nearby."

The blonde looked at me with puffy eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I mean to say…what _he_ said was that…she can't leave town. She has no money and no way to contact anyone. A lot of people recognise her. Is there any place you'd know that she'd go to?"

"Max, if I had kno…wn…wait." She pressed her palms to her face and then joined them together under her chin, looking up at me with excitement, "Yes. _Yes!_ I think I have an idea. Polly tried to run away back when we were kids. This just might- your friend, whoever he is, is really smart. I need to go. Thank you, Max." She embraced me tightly and in a flash, she was gone.

"O…kay? I won't tell him you said…" I stood there awkwardly for a while, "She's fast…Who runs like that? I hate running. Now I'm talking to myself. This is so weird. This is all Christopher's fault."

"Are you talking to yourself?"

"AAH!" The skies had grown darker and I got frightened, "Jesus!" I turned to look at Jughead who had an amused look on his face.

"Not Jesus." He walked towards me and ruffled my hair, "Come on, let's get you home."

We headed towards my house while making small talk. Literally small talk.

"Where's Archie?"

"He left."

"I can see that. Left where?"

"He…went home."

"He could've come with us."

"Ask him that the next time you see him."

"Are you still staying at school?"

"Yes."

"You can move in with me. My parents will be fine by it. You're practically family."

"Yeah, but-"

"Or live with Archie. Like I said before."

"I was planning on going back to dad's place."

"Oh."

"He said that he's going to talk to Archie's dad about the job."

"So he _did_ change his mind after all! You got your miracle."

"…Yeah"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"So, about Christen…"

"Christopher."

"Yeah, him. Are you…?"

"…Where are you getting at?"

"You two seemed close."

"You and I are close. I'm different with him."

"Yes, but I've never seen him with you before."

"I think we're what you can call 'friendly-rivals'"

"…' _Friendly-rivals_ '?"

"…Actually, I'm doubting the 'friendly' part."

"Oh."

"Acquaintance, definitely."

"…"

"…"

"..okay."

It was dark and drizzling by the time we had reached the front lawn of my home. I ran my fingers through my damp hair and realized that Jughead was right. My hair had, in fact, grown longer.

"Stay for dinner?" I asked him.

"Thanks but…" He hesitated a little, "I'm gonna check on my Pops."

"Oh. Okay then…"

I watched him turn and walk away, sneakers slapping away on the sidewalk, and then suddenly freeze. He turned and walked back towards me, held my cheek and pecked me on the corner of my mouth. Pulling back, he looked at me with an expression that I couldn't understand at that time.

That one moment, I don't know what happened, but I felt that I could do anything. An ache in my stomach was born and my ears felt really warm. I felt infinitely confident and a sudden surge of energy rushed through me. I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him towards me so that our noses were close enough to touch.

"Oh no," I growled, "After all the trauma, all the crying you've put me through you don't get to leave after pulling a stunt like that. If you're going to do it, then you're going to right."

His eyes narrowed in confusion, "Wha-"

I cut him off by pressing my mouth to his and it was then that I understood that the stomach ache had in fact been my anxiety of messing up everything.

 _Oh no oh no oh no, what am I doing?_

It wasn't until Jughead pressed himself closer to me, dragging his arms over mine until they rested cold against my neck that I calmed down. For a moment, it felt surreal. The fact that Jughead was kissing me back, softly, with my palms on either side of his face felt like a dream.

He pulled back, letting his forehead touch mine again. My hands dropped, now clutching his jacket. His breath ghosted over my face. "I thought you were going to hit me." He whispered.

I was too stunned to reply as I took a step back. I pressed my palm to his cheek again, my thumb wiping away a few droplets. In a daze, I gazed at him, noticing how his hair was plastered against his brow, how he had a faded scar right above his nose and how he had a mole on his cheek, his jaw and his chin, as if I was seeing him for the very first time.

"Lis?"

My eyes met his, "Can I kiss you again?"

The corner of his lips twitched upwards and he leaned forward.

The second time he kissed me, I realized that I would never get enough of him. Everything was quiet. I heard nothing but the blood rushing from my veins and the frantic beating of my heart. I pulled him closer and his arms circled me again. Once, twice, thrice, every time our lips met, there was this silence.

And for the first time in the past few weeks, I loved the quiet.

I fervently kissed back and he made a noise from the back of his throat. For some reason it drove me wild. I clung to him as he held me, as if he'd never hold me again. I was breathless but it didn't matter. All I wanted was to touch him.

He almost lifted me off of my feet when we broke apart, gasping for air. My arms were around his neck and Jughead nudged my nose with his.

"Can I be honest with you?"

The corner of his blue eyes crinkled at my question and he smiled, "If you were anything but honest, I'd know."

I clutched the fabric of his shirt, burying my face in the crook of his neck, "I really, really, _really_ like you."

"That's good." He kissed my temple, "I really, really, really like you too."

We stayed for a while, wrapped up in each other's warmth until Jughead began to pull away, saying that he had to see his father.

"I don't want you to go."

He chuckled and I felt that my heart was going to explode.

"I will see you tomorrow, Max."

He bent a little to kiss me and I stood on my toes, pecking him on the lips quickly and pushed him, "Hurry, or else I won't let go of you." I giggled as he frowned playfully at me.

He wished me goodnight and I giddily stared at his retreating figure, unable to keep the smile off of my face. Once, I was sure that he had left, I squealed and ran up the stairs to my front porch. With my heart beating wildly against my ribcage, I opened the door and came face to face with a 'grinning from ear to ear' Edmund Pierce.

The smile from my face dropped, "…What's with that expression?"

"Nothing." If it were possible, his smile grew wider.

"…okay. Where's mom?"

"Retrieving her purse." He closed his eyes and walked into the living room, humming. I trailed after him.

Mom followed soon after, in a sulking manner and handed a wad of cash to dad. Seeing this exchange, I raised my brow at them.

"Your mother lost a bet." Dad said, happily, counting the notes.

"You…" I glanced between them as mom collapsed on the couch, "You two made a bet?"

"For two hundred bucks." Mom groaned, "You kids just couldn't keep your hormones in check, could you?"

I choked on my spit, " _What?_ "

Dad, still humming happily, explained, "I bet against your mom that you and Jughead would get together before you turned sixteen. Your mom thought Senior Year. Ha! Who's the loser now, Vivien?"

"Can it. This is the first time in your life that you've won."

" _You bet on us?_ " I exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, of course." They replied in unison.

"I shipped you two ever since you pushed me into a mud puddle for not letting you play with him." Dad gushed. I think I saw stars in his eyes.

"I-but-that-" I sputtered, embarrassed, "How long ago was that?"

He looked up at the ceiling from the corner of his eyes, "Nine years, give or take?"

" _Nine years?_ "

"Dinner's in five, if anyone's interested." Mom piped up, still upset over her loss.

"Quiet, loser. No one cares about dinner right now."

"Look me in the eye and repeat that sentence, Edmund."

"Dinner, yes! Chop, chop, Maxine dear. Let's not keep your mother waiting."

" _Nine years?!"_

* * *

 **Bet you didn't see that coming...However*hides behind mom* I'm sorry if this chapter didn't meet your expectations *sniffles* I'm awful at writing romance. Forgive meeee.**

 **But in all honesty, this is how I envisioned them getting together. Because Max had enough of Jughead beating around the bush. It was so much fun watching (or better yet, reading) how you all gushed and predicted Max and Juggie's relationship. BUT IT FINALLY HAPPENED! YAYAYAYAY! I don't know what to do with my life now. Unrequited love and angst was kind of my fuel to write. It's my...thang. (That was so terrible that I'm gonna go spend some time under a rock)**

 **Also, after writing this chapter, I kinda want Edmund as my dad.**

 **You all are so wonderful with your wonderful comments, making me feel wonderful for existing. I feel so loved and wanted *cries tears of joy* Hugs and kisses to you all!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	36. Chapter 35

I slammed the door to my room shut and pressed my back against it, biting my lower lip. Sliding down to the floor, I couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably. Covering my mouth with both hands, I threw my head back and laughed loudly.

"Ow."

The back of my head hit the door with a loud sound. Rubbing and cursing myself, I got up to change into my pajamas, still giggling under my breath. I was rummaging through my underwear drawer when-

"Hey, Max."

"AAAHH!" I clutched a bra that I was holding to my chest, turning my head towards the window, "Archibald Andrews, please announce yourself next time." Calming myself, I realised that I was still holding my underwear. Cheeks burning from embarrassment, I shoved the piece of clothing back into the drawer and slid it shut.

"That's a first." Archie grinned, sitting on my window sill.

"What, me getting startled or me shrieking like a banshee? Yeah, it's happening a lot today." I couldn't keep the smile off of my face.

"Why are you smiling like that?" The redhead patted the space next to him, gesturing me to sit.

I all but skipped towards him and threw my arms around him.

"I take it that everything went well then." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I buried my face in his sleeve.

"Jughead kissed me!" I squealed, "Archie, it finally happened."

He laughed heartily, crinkling his nose like he always did, "I thought so. He did ask me about that guy you were talking to today."

I shook his arm repeatedly, "Archie, Archie, Archie. You don't get it. _Jughead kissed me._ "

"Oh my god, Phil. Okay, okay. I get it."

We giggled and guffawed and were soon gasping for air, red-faced.

"My heart is definitely going to explode." I huffed, wiping the tears of laughter, "Ah, it feels as if everything is going to be alright now. Little by little."

"Doesn't it?" Archie nodded, "I'm pretty sure Polly's gonna be found soon. And maybe she can help solve the case."

I leapt to my feet, and searched my jeans pockets for my phone, "That reminds me," I peered out of the front window of my room to see if the light in Betty's room was switched on or not. Luckily, she was pacing up and down her room. She must've seen me from the corner of her eye because she froze and took a double-take at me.

I pulled out the device from my pocket and texted her:

 **So?**

Betty disappeared for a second and reappeared with her phone in her hands. She looked up after reading the message and made a 'thumbs up' gesture

"Max?" Archie asked, raising his brow.

I turned my head at him, "Polly has been found." I announced.

Immediately, he got to his feet and looked out of the window. The blonde waved at him.

I sent her another text : **Where?**

Betty pointed upwards.

"The attic?" I voiced.

"What?"

"Polly is in the attic." I explained, "She was under our-no, _above their_ noses the entire time."

"We'll need to find some place for her. To stay, I mean." Archie took my phone and typed out the same thing.

"Ask her to talk to her parents." I pointed.

She read our message, nodded and waved us goodbye, disappearing downstairs.

"Phew," I exhaled, "It's like this heavy burden has been removed from my back."

"Same," The two of us collapsed on the window sill, "Hey."

I looked at Archie, who was sniggering.

"Jughead kissed you."

* * *

Surprisingly, I didn't wake up at the crack of dawn. Naturally, my parents were a little shocked to see me at the dining table, eating breakfast.

"Is there a reason why your face looks like Cheshire cat?" I pointed my spoon at dad lazily, as he sat down.

He pushed his glasses up, "I bet you're excited to see Jughead."

I sputtered and the cereal and milk dribbled out of my mouth.

"Charming." Mom sat down next to dad, placing a pot of coffee on the table. She handed me a napkin and I pressed it to my chin, wiping away the remnants of my breakfast.

"What is wrong with you?" I pointed at dad, blushing, "Aren't you supposed to threaten him and say stuff like 'Don't you hurt my daughter or I'll hurt you' or something?"

He chortled, "Why? I _wanted_ this to happen. It's my dream come true."

"That," Mom sipped her coffee while looking at him from the corner of her eyes, "And he's afraid of FP."

"As. If."

I got up to leave, rolling my eyes at the child that my father was when mom stopped me.

"Honey, change your top. There are stains on it."

I peered down to see blotches on my shirt. Grumbling, I sped to my room and changed into my 'SuperWhoLock' pullover. When I returned downstairs, mom and dad were engaged in a discussion which, by the looks on their faces, might've been serious.

"What're you guys talking about?" I asked, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder.

Dad rubbed his chin thoughtfully and mom sighed. She crossed her legs, peering into her coffee mug.

"Just the Blossoms and the Coopers." She said, looking at me over her shoulder

"About Polly?" I asked, "And the…baby?"

"Yep." Dad chimed, "If the girl is found, the Blossoms will stop at nothing to snatch the baby away. I don't know about Cheryl, but the Blossom patriarch is worse than scum. They – Cliff and Penelope - will act as if they care for Polly, but they just want the-"

"Edmund." Mom interrupted, curtly, "That is enough. Max, you'll be late for school."

"But…" I hesitated, "What dad said-"

"Is based on his personal bias against the Blossom family." She stood up, gathering the utensils from the table, "We're not gonna talk about it anymore."

Dad sighed, "I suppose your mother's right. Besides, we talked about it a few days ago, didn't we. Come on, kiddo. It's time for you to go."

"Yeah…" I looked at him uncertainly and made my way through the living room towards the front door.

"Say hi to Jughead for me! Tell him that you two have my blessing."

" _Dad!_ "

* * *

"Phyllis Maxine Pierce!" Sam shrieked, stomping towards me, her brown hair flying behind her. Reggie trailed after her, smirking.

"Sa…m?" I blinked and she stopped about a feet to my left.

She pointed a finger in front of her, "I had to hear about it from _Archie_ , of all the people." Reggie held her by her shoulders and dragged her, placing the girl in front of me. "Thanks, Reggie. And _you._ " She poked my collarbone repeatedly, "When were you going to tell me? _After the entire school found out?"_

I blinked, once and then twice, "…What?"

"She's talking about you and Jonesy." Her boyfriend's smirk grew wider, "About time, anyway."

My stomach did a somersault when Jughead was mentioned. My ears turned hot, _unbearably hot,_ and I started fidgeting. Chuckling nervously, I asked, "What…makes you-," I cleared my throat, "Why would you-"

"Oh ho ho ho." Sam folded her arms, pouting, "I may be blind, but I'm not stupid. Archie told me what happened last night. The first person you were supposed to blurt it out to was me, not Gingerlake."

"I knew the moment you punched me that you had a thing for him," Reggie frowned at that, "you still haven't apologiz-"

"I'm not going to."

"You can do better, anyway. Want me to hook you up with one of my-"

"Reginald. Do you want me to break up with you?"

"No, Sam. I'm sorry! Max, I was kidding."

I snickered, trying to ignore the anxiety creeping up my chest, "I wouldn't have taken up your offer anyway, jerk."

Sam suddenly threw her arms around me, "I'm so excited. This is such a cliché! Best friends turned lovers-"

"Sam…" I hid my face in my sleeves as she rambled on.

"-I really thought it would be Archie and Betty but I'm not really surprised-"

Reggie was looking at her with this look at confused me but at the same time made me smile. He busied himself by twirling strands of Sam's hair. Looking up, his eyes trailed past me and he grabbed her hand.

"Looks like your lone wolf's here. Let's go."

Panic seized me and I attached myself to his other arm, "No, you can't do this to me."

Sam giggled as Reggie tried to shrug me off of him."Let go, Max."

"Don't leave me alone. Please, Reggie. You're my friend-"

"I'm no-"

"Sam is my best friend. You're her boyfriend. The official handbook declares that you're my friend too."

"There's no such th- Oh my god, let me go!"

"Max?"

I whipped around to see Jughead, pulling and tugging at his beanie. Reggie took this as a chance to wrench himself out of my grip and flee with his girlfriend.

"So did Veronica ask you out yet?" I could hear Sam's voice growing smaller and smaller, as they vanished in the thin crowd of students.

"Hi…Jughead." I waved, awkwardly.

He smiled smugly, tilting his head a little, "You look nervous." He stepped towards me.

"Can you blame me?" I pulled my sleeves over my palms, "I don't really know how this works."

"Neither do I." He was close enough to hold my hand, and instead, hooked his little finger with mine.

My eyes widened at the contact and I blurted, "My heart is going to explode."

Jughead chuckled first and then laughed, "Is that so."

I swatted his chest with my free hand, "Don't laugh. It's se-"

He cut me off by kissing me square on the mouth and I immediately reciprocated. It only lasted for a few seconds and thankfully so. PDA makes me extremely uncomfortable.

"If it makes you feel any better," He ran his fingers through my hair, "I think my heart is going to explode too."

"Gross."

We turned to see Archie fake gagging at us. I playfully glared at him while Jughead rolled his eyes. The redhead ruffled my hair. He looked at Jughead.

"Mr. Pierce said hi."

Jughead blinked, "O…kay?"

"He also says you have his blessing."

I slapped my palm on my forehead, "Goddamit. He's been over the moon since last night. My dad's crazy. He made a _bet_ with mom about us."

Archie grinned, "I saw him taking money from my dad while I was walking to school. I think he was in on it too."

I groaned as Jughead smiled happily.

"Well, I'm glad about the fact that he doesn't want to interrogate me first." He comments as we start walking down the hall, "What was the bet about?"

"I'm not telling. It's embarrassing."

* * *

" _Senior year?_ " Jughead chuckled as I swung my feet, sitting on the tabletop in the Blue and Gold office.

I had ended up telling him about the bet after he used reverse psychology on me. Trying to ignore his poking and prodding during class, I had made it to the music room during my free period when Jughead dragged me to the office. He acted as if he didn't want to know about the bet until I babbled about it. Curse my disability of blurting things out when I'm nervous.

"Yep." I stressed on the 'p'. I watched him gather his laptop back into his messenger bag along with a few books, "So, how did things go with your dad?"

"Good, they're good." He looked at me, jovially, "He's taken up the job offer. It's his first day at work today."

"That's fantastic!" I grinned at him as made his way towards me, "So you'll be moving back with him?"

"That's the plan." He stood in front of me, stopping me from swinging my legs.

His proximity made my heart race for the hundredth time today and I focused on his nose, "I'm never gonna get used to this." I mumbled.

I felt his hand snake around my neck, pulling me closer to him slowly, "I can work with that."

Unlike the first time, this kiss was needy. However, just like the first time, I realized I was hungry for something I didn't quite understand. I locked my legs around his and pulled him closer to me, kissing him with vigour.

Jughead kissed me so deeply and passionately that I couldn't help but let out a moan.

I quickly let him go, hiding my face in his chest, "Oh my god, that was so embarrassing."

He placed his palm on the back of my head, "I-I'm sorry. Was it something I di-"

"No, no!" I laced my fingers with his, meeting his blue gaze, "No, that's not it. You know…the sound that I just made…" My head was woozy as Jughead continued to stare at me, waiting for my explanation, "it…was…kinda embarrassing." I trailed off.

"I thought it was cute."

"That's not helping!"

He chuckled for the nth time, his chest vibrating and then suddenly went quiet, "You are…okay with it, aren't you? Me kissing you?"

I smiled a little, taken aback by his words, "So far, I have loved it. The real question is are _you_ okay with it? As far as I know, you avoid physical contact as much as you can."

He shrugged, "I mean it's you. I'm good with you."

"I'm good with you too."

"I'd be worried if you weren't."

Letting my legs drop, I said, thoughtfully, "You know, I was pretty much convinced that you had a thing for Betty."

He shifted to prop himself against the table next to me, "That's what I thought too until Christian-"

"Christopher."

"-at this point, I don't really care what his name is. Anyway, I realized that what I felt for Betty was the same thing that I now feel towards Archie."

I snickered, "You mean you want to hold Archie's hand too?"

"That," He turned his head toward me, "was a grave miscalculation on my behalf. What I mean is that they're my best friends. While you…" He turned the other way, looking at the 'murder-board', "you're-you know …"

"What?"

"…you know…"

Making a serious face, I rested my elbow on my thigh and my hand against my chin, "No, I really don't know." I scratched my nose.

On the inside, I was screaming. Out of joy, obviously. _I'm going to die at this rate,_ I thought, watching Jughead struggle with words.

"You're…more than my best friend."

"Oh!" I snapped my fingers, "So, like…Super-duper best friends."

"Now you're just making fun of me and my inability to verbally express myself." Jughead crossed his arms.

"Damn right I am," I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he automatically leaned against me, "And you just said that you 'really, really, really like me' yesterday."

"You're being mean. I take that ba-"

"No takebacks! What's said is said." I embraced him, laughing, "I'm not letting you leave now."

He kissed my forehead and my stomach did a somersault.

I pressed closer to him, "Things are going to be alright now. Little by little."

* * *

 **Ew, another mushy filler chapter. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to write a fluff(?) chapter without blushing? Because I have no experience in the romance section. You see, your dear author is what you might call a 'Forever Alone'-er.**

 **Also, look at all the readers squealing after reading the last chapter *giggle* The reaction was really unexpected. But I WAS SO HAPPY ZOMG!**

 ** _Jellybean(Guest)_ : Max's full name is Phyllis Maxine Pierce. **

**Guysss, with a heavy heart I inform you that I'm going on another hiatus. I need to get my shit together because I'm leaving for college. I'm excited and at the same time I'm not. My break isn't permanent and I'm never ever going to abandon this fic (or the others) because I love writing this. Please bear with me for a few weeks m(_ _)m**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	37. Chapter 36

By the time Betty had come back from her 'chat' with Cheryl, Kevin and Sam had joined Ronnie and me in the student lounge.

"She knew I was lying," Betty threw her hands up and slumped down next to me on the couch, "about Polly. I had to tell her that I know where she is."

Sam draped her jeans clad legs over Kevin's, nestling against Veronica's shoulder, "That must be because you do the thing with your mouth while lying."

Kevin pushed her legs off of him but she brought them back while Ronnie put her arm around Sam.

"I don't do anything with my mouth." The blonde frowned for a second, blushing madly, and then rephrased her sentence, ignoring the snickering that came from us, "That tells that I'm lying, I meant."

"Yeah, you do," I pulled up my legs and shifted in my seat, "And your eyebrows go up and down," I wiggled my brow, "and you really try so hard to lie that it's adorable."

"What did Cheryl want?" Veronica asked.

"She said that she wants to help Polly, that she'll ask her parents for help." Betty crossed her legs, "'Jason's baby is a game changer'," she imitated.

"Did Cheryl do the thing with her mouth too?" Sam wiggled her fingers in front of her lips, "Where she talks from the right corner of her mouth, in a sort of twisting manner?"

Kevin looked at her strangely and pinched her leg, "Weirdo. Who remembers such things?"

"Ow! I do. I have a good memory."

"Betty," I turned towards the blonde, "You're planning on trusting the Blossoms?"

She sighed, wearily, "At this point, I'm ready to sell my soul to the Devil if it means that Polly and the baby are safe."

Veronica raised her perfectly done eyebrows, "Something tells me you already have."

"V, at this point" Betty leaned back, "The Blossoms are my best bet. And, Max" She gripped my wrist, smiling widely at me, "When you see that friend of yours, tell him I said thanks. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have found Polly."

"Yeah…sure…" I said awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck.

"What friend?" Sam exclaimed, "Who is _he_? Does Jughead know about him?"

I covered my face in exasperation, "Sam, no."

" _I_ need to know, okay?"

"And why does _Jughead_ care about this friend of hers?" Kevin questioned keenly.

Sam poked him in the knees with the tip of her shoes, "Because, my dear gossip queen, Jones and Pierce are officially a thing now."

I felt my face flush red as I tried to ignore Veronica's "Ooooh" and Kevin's squeal of "Oh my god!"

"Ronnie, how-how are things at home?" I stuttered.

"That," The Latina said, "can wait. However, the prodigy and the prodigal son. I've got to hear about this."

"And me." Betty piped in, twisting her body to face me, "How have I not been told of this?"

Chuckling nervously, I tugged on my sleeves, "We kissed. Last night."

"Wow," Kevin stared at me wide-eyed, "With the way you're blushing, I won't be surprised if you start bleeding from the nose and ears."

Betty throwing her arms around me took me by surprise because I sure as hell hadn't expected it.

"I'm so happy for you!" She exclaimed, ruffling my hair, "At least one of us is lucky enough in the romance genre."

I awkwardly patted her forearm because I was _not expecting that_ , "Well…I…Thanks, I guess?"

"Honestly though," Ronnie turned to Kevin, "are you surprised? Because I'm not."

He nodded in response, "I think we all saw it coming."

Sam nudged him again, "What was that?"

"Except for Sam, who _heard_ it coming."

I suddenly stood up, throwing Betty off balance, "Know what? I'm gonna go. Before I-"

"Vomit rainbows?" Kevin and Sam exclaimed in unison and gasped at each other.

"Kev, this is true love!"

"This _is_ true love! _"_

"Speaking of true love," Veronica nudged Sam's back with her elbow, "You sure Reggie can come with us to the club?"

"Sure, sure." The brunette waved it off, "Let the kid enjoy himself. Just…um.." She sheepishly fidgeted with her fingers, "Don't let him so anything…stupid."

"Aww," The Latina cooed, "Even if Reggie can be a jerk sometimes, you two are the cutest."

"Going." I informed them, "Now. Bye. See you guys…later." I adjusted the strap of my messenger bag and walked out of the student lounge.

* * *

"Centerville?" I asked dad, as I slammed the car door shut, "For what?"

"You mother had some urgent work. Some architect thingamajig." Dad explained, double-checking if the car was locked, "She had to leave and I took the opportunity to have some real food." He gestured at diner's sign which glowed pink in the dark.

"Waffles." I said, pushing the door to Pop's diner open.

"Pancakes." Dad insisted, walking in and I closed the door behind us.

"Ed!" Pop smiled at us from behind the counter, "Long time no see. What can I get you two?"

Dad and I looked at each other and exchanged smiles.

"Pancakes and waffles." Dad exclaimed excitedly, "And two coffees."

"No maple syrup, please." I chimed in.

"Chocolate, instead. Hate maple."

The old man chuckled, "I remember that you do. Grab a booth. It'll take a few minutes."

Dad and I sat at the farthest booth of the diner, making small talk.

"So!" Dad grinned, "How are things with Jughead going?"

I felt my face flush bright pink, "Come on! It's barely been 24 hours. Can we not talk about it?"

"Fine, fine." He lifted his hands in mock surrender, "How's school going, then? Still skipping classes?"

"Nope," I proudly said, shoving the memory of Ginger Lopez in the darkest corner of my mind, "Attending every class like the good student I am. Didn't pick any fights or anything."

"…You pick fights at school?"

"No!" I hurriedly said, scratching my nose, "No fights. No…brawls or anything."

He looked at me, not believing a word I said, but dropped the topic.

"And the piano stuff?"

"… _Piano stuff?_ " I narrowed my eyes in disbelief.

"You know what I mean."

"Fine. I practise but it's not much."

Dad lowered his eyes and hesitated before speaking, "Does…does it have to do with…you know…?"

I gulped and contemplated for a few seconds on whether I should tell him or not. Dad waited patiently as I thought.

 _Fuck it. He's your dad. You're supposed to tell him if there's something wrong with you._

"Actually, yes." I firmly said, "There has been something wrong with- thanks!" I smiled at the waitress who had interrupted to place our (divine smelling) food on the table, "As I was saying, there's been something wrong with me ever since the competition. I'm sure you and mom have noticed."

He nodded at this, gulping his coffee.

I continued, "And I lied. About not getting into fights-"

"I know when you lie."

"Of course even you'd know when I lie. Apparently, everyone knows when I lie. Ginger Lopez is the person I had an argument with. Ended up calling each other names. She called me a 'depressed bitch' and I kinda froze up. Hell, I've screamed at Jughead at what, four? Three? In the morning! Because he asked me to stop playing the piano at the ass crack of dawn. Oh, and I go to school at five in the morning to practise piano so that I don't come in contact with any humans."

Dad was staring at me with his coffee mug raised, listening to my rant.

"Sometimes, I don't want to talk to people. I can't handle the silence but at the same time, it's too bloody noisy. It's-it's difficult to breathe! I have trouble controlling my anger. I'm sad. I'm messed up. I don't know. It's like my life has turned into a melodramatic soap opera. I-I mean, look at the way I'm describing this-this-" My voice began to crack, "There's something wrong with me, dad."

"No, no. No, sweetheart." Dad clasped my hand, "I wished you could've told me sooner. Don't worry. Your mother and I, we're always with you. We'll figure everything out. Together."

I pushed the plate of waffles away, crossing my arms on the table and propped my chin against them.

Dad sighed heavily, "Good food is good mood. Eat up, kiddo."

Shifting my gaze to him, I found him smiling at me, looking like a chipmunk. Because he already had his mouth full of pancakes and his cheeks were puffed out.

"You look like Tyrion first season."

He choked on his food, gulped down coffee to wash away the food and coughed, "Don't *cough* *cough* insult a great man *wheeze* *cough* by comparing him with me."

"Nerd." I blew a raspberry and handed him a napkin.

"Thanks."

We ate slowly, relishing the heavenly food while talking about random things. Dad's eyes bulged out when he laid his eyes on the check. Pop had decided that my father would be paying my debts for me tonight.

"What the f- Max, how much did you eat here during the summer?" He exclaimed, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Ehehehe…" I nervously chuckled, lifting my shoulder, "A bit?"

" _Jesus._ You have a black hole for a stomach." He paid without further complaints and stood up, "So, will you practise tonight? Tell me beforehand so that I can keep my ear plugs ready."

I followed him out of the booth, "Hey, I'm a _prodigy_ , okay? I play beautifully. And, no. No practise. I'm gonna watch Assassination Classroom tonight."

"What's that about?"

"14-15 year olds are ordered to kill their almost impossible to kill alien teacher who plans to blow up the earth if they fail."

"Nice."

It was then that I noticed Mr. Andrews (Is it too soon to call him Uncle Fred?) and Mr. Jones sitting at one of the booths with their respective progeny. Dad grew excited when he spotted Mr. Jones, who was tapping the table in a rhythm.

"PJ!" He exclaimed, staggering over to their table.

Mr. Jones grinned widely, tilting his head, "I see you came here to die, Pierce." The way his eyes narrowed told me that he was being serious about the dying part.

"FP!" Dad said this time, with the same enthusiasm, "It's been a while."

"Yeah? Hasn't been long enough for me."

Jughead immediately pointed at me as Archie looked back and forth between my dad and Mr. Jones, "Her, dad. I'm dating her. Not Betty."

My ears grew hot when he said that. Blood rushed into my brain and Archie grinned up at me. I slapped his shoulder as Mr. Jones turned his gaze towards me.

"Hey, Mr. Jo-"

"Called it."

"Oh my god! Why is _everyone_ saying that?" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands, "I can't believe th- Goodnight, everyone. I'll be by the car, dad." I heard guffaws being emitted by the adults, my father's laughter sounding the loudest, as I stalked out of the diner.

Leaning against dad's car, I saw him talking animatedly with Mr. Andrews through the window, while Mr. Jones interrupted him with what looked to be a snarky retort. My dad, being the very mature adult that he was, stuck out his tongue at him. Archie was chuckling and Jughead stared wide eyed at his dad.

He turned away from the conversation and his eyes met mine. The corners of his mouth twitched as he fought back a smile.

I rolled my eyes at him but smiled back.

* * *

 **Oh my god, I'm so so so sorry. This is waaay too late of an update. I really, really hope I made up for the delay by uploading this chapter (I'm pretty sure I haven't, though.)**

 **Unfortunately, I got no writing done during my hiatus. So my updates will still be random. I'm trying, I swear. I want to finish this epic saga too ;-;**

 **But first, let me tell y'all high school readers.**

 _ **College life is a myth**_ **.**

 **It is for me, in India.**

 **This is literally the shittiest part of my life yet. My classmates are shit people who cannot see beyond their privileged lifestyle and who think they're too cool for college too. I'm so done with them. I know I sound like a whiny bitch but. I. Just. Can't. Help. It.**

 **I'm just hoping that I go to sleep today and wake up to find that I've skipped this time period and have woken up to the successful part of my life where I'm happy and rich and working at a library.**

 **Alas, tis but a dream.**

 **Anyway, vote, comment, send me an IM, whatever floats our boat. I love it when you guys message me. Maybe text me how crappy your school/college is going on so we can whine about it together? xD**

 **See you soon~(Hopefully)**


	38. Chapter 37

"Max, get up. You can't sleep during sleepovers. Max. Max. Max. Ma-"

"If you poke me one more time, I will make you sleep on the doormat." I threatened, tugging the comforter over my head and snuggling into the pillow.

Sam pouted, her brown hair falling over her eyes, "But I waited for you in the cold."

"You," I slapped her hand away as she touched my shoulder, "feel asleep on the front porch. I didn't even know that you were coming over."

She grinned brightly at me as if she hadn't stopped me from sleeping at 12 AM on a _school night_ , "That's because Reggie is out partying with Ronnie."

"What's that got to do with this?"

"He talks to me through the phone until we fall asleep. Or get drowsy."

I threw the comforter off of me and turned to her, "You mean, you see each other-"

Sam cleared her throat.

"- _meet_ each other at school, practically spend the whole day together and then you talk on the phone till midnight?"

"We also go for occasional strolls in the park when he's not at football practise."

I gave her an incredulous look, "You guys sure do have a lot to talk about."

"Not really," The brunette shrugged, "He talks about his football practise, how he sucks at Chemistry and we occasionally talk about food."

"…Food?"

She nodded excitedly, "Yeah, I didn't know that they draw on the latte foam. Apparently they draw monkeys and weird designs, you k-"

"I know what you're talking about, Sam."

"Exactly!" She snapped her fingers, "I've never seen foam art. Or these new freak shakes that the diner has. So Reggie and I are making a list of all the food I have to see…and preferably see when I get my eyesight back."

For a moment I was stumped.

' _Get my eyesight back_ '?

"Umm.." I hesitated, "Get your…eyesight…?"

Sam laughed gleefully, "Yeah, I can get my eyes operated! It's got something to do with the nerves in the eyes."

Blinking out of astonishment, I tried to digest what had just been told to me, "If…if you can get your sight back…then why..?"

"Why haven't I done so till now?" She hummed, "Well, we don't have the money. We could barely afford our house uptown so we had to shift to the Southside after Hugo left. So I'm saving up. I got time."

I frowned, "You sure you have enough time to save up for the treatment?"

"Hey," She flopped face first on the pillow on her side, narrowly missing the headboard, "There's still a few years until graduation. I say we have plenty of time."

I shook my head, laughing lightly, "Well, that's good then. Now, we're gonna sleep."

"But-"

"We have school, Sam. Go the fuck to sleep."

"Yeesh. Buzzkill."

* * *

I pulled on the hem of my sweater, as I weaved through the crowd of humans. For reasons obvious, Sam and I had to run all the way to school. Well, we didn't do much of running, actually. Because I hate running. We power walked because Sam was complaining the entire time.

"Max, don't run!"

"If we don't then we'll be late."

"AAH! Don't run, I can't see! I'm blind!"

"I'm not runni-"

"You deserted me, you traitor!"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, I'M RIGHT NEXT TO YOU."

The moment I spotted Kevin, I shoved Sam into his arms and stalked off to find Jughead. I saw Archie and Betty standing near the lockers talking when the blonde waved at me.

"Max!"

I walked up to them, "Hey, guys. Wha-"

"Jughead just walked into the Blue and Gold office a few seconds ago." Archie grinned ear to ear and Betty let out a hearty chuckle.

I groaned, hiding my face in my hands, "I swear if another person makes me look like some attention cravin…g-" I lifted my head and my gaze fell on Sherriff Keller and Weatherbee, with Jughead in tow.

Betty and Archie followed my line of sight and Jughead lifted his head with a panicked look on his face.

"Call my dad." He spoke hurriedly, making eye contact with us.

"On it."

"Of course."

The three of us had taken turns, trying to phone but to no avail. I paced up and down the corridor as Betty tried again one last time.

"It's not ringing." The blonde announced.

Archie ran his fingers through his hair, "Now what?"

"I'll call my dad." I fumbled with the numbers on my phone as Archie copied me, dialling Mr. Andrews' number.

Dad picked up after three rings.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" was the first thing he asked.

My heart was beating too loud out of worry, "Dad, how fast can you come over to school?"

Assessing the tone of my voice, he asked, alarmed, "What's wrong?"

"Sherriff Keller, he took Jughead to the station for questioning. It didn't look good. Principal Weatherbee was with them too. Mr. Jones isn't picking up. Can you take us to the police station?"

"Yeah, hang on, Max. I'll be in there in five." He hung up and I pocketed my phone.

Betty was tugging on her jacket as Archie finished talking to his dad.

"Dad said he'll go look for Mr. Jones." The redhead informed us.

I fidgeted with the strap of my messenger bag, "My dad said he's coming to school."

"Let's go then."

The three of us sprinted out of school and sure enough, after five minutes, dad had pulled up his Fiat in the parking lane.

Archie sat in the front as Betty and I sat in the back of the car. The blonde had her palms balled into tight fists. I lay my hand over hers, forcing her to open her fist.

"It's going to be fine." I chewed on my lower lip, trying to reassure her. But it sounded as if I was trying to convince myself.

By the time we reached our destination, Mr. Andrews was already there, leaning against his truck. Archie bolted out of the car, towards him and dad followed.

"They're questioning him." Mr. Andrews nodded towards the building.

"And Mr. Jones?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

He shook his head, "Couldn't find him down at the site. He's not at work. Left him a couple of messages."

After waiting a while, an officer stepped out, telling us that one of us could go see him while the adults had to talk to the Sherriff. Betty and Archie turned to me.

I shook my head, "Right now, he needs someone who knows what to say because I'm pretty sure he's scared beyond belief. Betty, you should go."

"No, Max, you-" She protested but I cut her off by placing my hand on her shoulder.

"I'll just make things worse with my motor-mouth. Just tell him that I'm right outside with Archie, okay?"

The blonde nodded and followed the officer inside.

"Fred, you go talk to Keller." Dad gestured at Mr. Andrews, "I'll try to reach FP."

Mr. Andrews nodded and hurried to the Sherriff's office, with Archie following him. I leaned against the car, biting my nails as dad tried again and again to call Mr. Jones. He suddenly let out a cry.

"FP! Thank fu- Hurry down to the station, will you? Don't ask questions." Keeping the call short, dad hung up.

Few moments later, the three, along with Jughead walked down the stairs. I scampered towards him. He wrapped his arms around me as I pressed a fleeting kiss to his temple. Pulling back, he stayed close to me while holding my hand.

"Jughead!" We turned our heads to see Mr. Jones cantered towards us, clearly hungover, "I'm sorry. I came as soon as I got your messages." Chuckling he continued, "My phone, the friggin' battery. I forgot to plug it in last night." He stood there casually, "What the hell happened?"

"Nothing." Jughead was quick to answer, "It's fine now. Mr. Andrews took care of it."

Mr. Jones's face morphed into rage, "What jacked-up crap did they accuse you of in there, huh? Those bastards trying to throw you in jail like they did your old man?" His voice grew more louder and terrifying, "Well, screw that. I will rip Keller a new one for trying to pull that."

He tried to make his way up the stairs when my dad and Mr. Andrews blocked his path.

"FP, settle down." Mr. Andrews grabbed him by the shoulders but got shoved away harshly.

"Hey! Hey!" Mr. Jones continued to push Archie's dad away as Jughead continued to look on, helplessly. "This is my son, he is my son, Fred! You'd do the same-"

What I never expected in my wildest dreams was for my father to step up and grab someone who looked as frightening as FP Jones by the collar.

" _Calm the fuck down, FP._ " Dad used a voice that I had never heard before, "Look at your son and then at yourself. Realize what you're putting your boy through."

Mr. Jones mouth was twisted into a sneer but before he could shoot a retort, dad shook him harshly, " _Look at him._ " And with that, he released Mr. Jones as if something had shocked him.

I had long since let go of Jughead. I had never seen him like this, so close to tears.

"Dad." He stepped towards his father, "Don't make things worse. Please." Jughead pleaded and realization dawned upon his father's face and he sobered up.

"Yeah" Mr. Jones nodded and threw glance at us, "Yeah, all right, then." He started to back away and walked past us, "You, uh, coming home with me?"

Archie interjected from beside me, "He can stay with us, Mr. Jones. We already offered."

Mr. Jones turned, "Is that what you want?" Jughead looked away, hesitating, "Maybe that's for the best. If you don't mind, Fred."

Mr. Andrews looked over his shoulder, "Whatever you want, FP. It's between the two of you." Dad and he shared a look.

"I-I'll go with you, Dad." Jughead voiced, not looking up from the ground.

Betty wrapped her arm around mine, stopping me from going to him as Jughead walked dejectedly towards his dad. Mr Jones placed his arms on his shoulders.

He sniffled once, "Son, listen to me. I'm gonna do what you want, get my act together. I'm gonna get your mom and Jellybean home so we're all under the same roof. I promise. But I-I just need a little time to do that. Not a lot, not long, a month, two at the most. Hey. And then we'll be back on track, all right? You-you believe that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I believe you, Dad." With that, Mr. Jones pressed his forehead against Jughead's, and they embraced.

Mr. Jones pushed Jughead away and tried to stagger away when my dad went after him.

"Get in the car. I'll drop you home. No, don't argue, FP. Just do as I say."

Jughead watched as dad drove Mr. Jones away and then turned, wiping his face with his sleeve. I hurried forward to him and he was quick to place his hand on my bicep. I nudged his nose with mine.

"Come on, let's go and get your stuff."

* * *

 **Oh my god, how many years has it been?**

 **Jk, it's been a couple of months. And I'm so so so sorry for this delay. College has sucked out what little happiness I had left in me. Yes, I've made great friends and I've been trying to keep up my grades but my course is just. So. Damn. Difficult.**

 **Hello, new readers! Hello again, my old readers who are probably used to my sudden disappearances.**

 **I'll be really honest with all of you. I'm extremely glad that I'm getting such a wonderful response to this story. It makes me happy and a teensy bit important. I haven't gotten back to writing as often as I used to before but I will certainly try my best to catch up. I've been through a lot in these past months and to be frank, my mental health is better than before but at the same time, I'm still in pain. I'm not looking for sympathy of any sorts. I'm just stating the reason for my delay in writing and updating my story.**

 **On a different note, how have you all been? How is your school/college/job/life treating you? Did you all have a good Thanksgiving?**

 **WHO'S LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS AYYY**

 ***ahem* sorry**

 **Anyway, do let me know about this chapter. Or thoughts in general about the story so far. Leave a review. Favorite. Follow. Send me an IM, feel free to rant about anything and everything. I love talking to people.**

 **See you all soon!(Hopefully)**


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